


Godzilla's Voice

by Divineamaterasu



Category: Godzilla (2014), Godzilla - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Friends, Gen, Godzilla and OC - Freeform, Godzilla vs. ?, Mental Connections, OC learns to love, Oc doesn't know what to think, The power of friendship, mostly canon, multiple OCs - Freeform, post KOTM, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2020-07-08 00:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 68,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19860610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Divineamaterasu/pseuds/Divineamaterasu
Summary: It was naive to think these creatures—these titans— where not a force of nature. They were changing the planet faster than anyone could imagine, restoring rainforests, stabilizing polar ice caps. Once again, humans have begun to worship them as gods, even claim to communicate with them. But that was impossible. These creatures couldn't be capable of higher thought, could they?





	1. Diving In Too Deep

**Author's Note:**

> (KOTM spoilers)
> 
> I'm trash for Godzilla and garbage at editing. Enjoy!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! This chapter has been edited by my beta watashi-desu.

The world was changing. It started years ago when two creatures appeared out of nowhere, creating vast destruction in their wake. Little did anyone know, there was something else—something bigger. The news that day changed everything.

They called him Godzilla. Well, the Americans did. Its scientific name was Titanus Gojira. It was difficult to tell which was more fitting.

The planet was divided by the discovery of its existence. Some called it a god, and others, a monster.

Amara didn’t know what to think.

The once secret organization known as Monarch stated that Godzilla was a balancing force. That he was awakened by the arrival of the MUTO’s and once they were dealt with, went back into hibernation.

It was easy enough for her to believe. After all, that was what happened. But others were not so easily convinced, saying it would only be a matter of time before he would be back.

And they were right.

“Still nothing?”

A woman bent over and looked over Amara’s shoulder at the sonar, her eyes narrowed looking for blips.

Amara leaned back. “No, nothing.”

“That’s so strange. Are you sure you’re not just spacing off again?”

“Sorry, Dr. Park. I swear I haven’t taken my eyes off it all morning.”

Dr. Park’s ebony eyes narrowed analytically. Though it was hard to tell if it was at her semi honest answer or the fact there were indeed no whales in the area.

“I’m guessing the mass awakening of the titans is causing this,” Amara added.

“But there are none in this area, the closest was almost two-thousand kilometers away.” Dr. Park put a hand over her eyes and scanned the ocean water. “The whales always come through here this time of year and stay to feed for at least a week before moving on. These titans are really something if they’re having this kind of effect so far away.”

“Who knows how many undiscovered ones there are in the ocean alone?”

Even as they spoke, anything could be under them, lurking in the depths. Massive and unknown, waiting to drag the boat to the ocean floor and they could do nothing to stop it. It didn’t matter if it was docile or not, anything of that size could easily capsize their boat if it came too close.

The older woman unfolded a nearby chair and sat down beside Amara. “Why? Thinking of becoming a titanologist instead?”

“That’s not a thing.”

“Not _yet_ ,” Dr. Park added. “I’m sure lots of biologists will abandon animals to study these new super species. They defy so many of the natural laws we’ve established.”

“Until they see them in person and go screaming for their lives.” Amara couldn’t help the image of scientists pulling out tiny tranquilizer guns and aiming it at a seventy thousand ton animal.

Dr. Park nodded, her eyes scanning over the open water. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to see something so massive.” A mischievous smile crossed her flushed features. “They wouldn’t even see you, then _splat_ ,” she emphasized squashing her hands together.

“Yeah, blue whales are big enough for me, thanks,” Amara said with an exaggerated grimace.

“If there were any to see. We’ve only come across two your entire internship with me.” Dr. Park crossed her arms over her chest. The wind ruffled her coat.

Amara leaned back. “Are we sure Godzilla’s not eating them?”

“Scientists are saying he doesn’t have to eat at all. Just feeds off radiation…somehow. They’re classifying him as bio-nuclear now.”

The fact that a biological creature could use radiation of all things as a food source and as a weapon was indeed baffling. According to Monarch, he could even use it for healing. It was a lot to take in. Sure, plants and some microscopic organisms could absorb the Sun’s energy as a source of food, but a creature like Godzilla? It seemed impossible.

But then again, everything about him seemed impossible.

“And he proves the theory of evolution,” Amara said. “Have you seen the Boston pictures versus the San Francisco ones? He got even bigger and his dorsal plates changed shape.”

“I saw the research papers. It’s unbelievable.”

“Radiation is known to mess with DNA and cause mutations, maybe Godzilla just uses it to his advantage to evolve faster?”

“I want to say that’s impossible, but then again he can shoot radiation out of his mouth and heals with bombs if what Monarch says is true.”

Dr. Park got back up from her seat and headed towards the steering wheel. Amara followed behind, choosing to lean on a nearby railing while Dr. Park started the repurposed fishing boat.

Dr. Park was an accomplished marine biologist who was known around the world for her research on blue whale behavioral patterns. Amara had been lucky that she was picked to do the three-week internship with her out of the hundreds of applicants.

Then it was almost cancelled when the dragon woke up.

However, Godzilla and Monarch took care of the main problem in a matter of days, leaving behind titans across the world, active but placid.

Already their expedition had shown major changes in whale behavior. The dragon’s call must have affected more than just the titans to cause this much change in so little time. Would humans have been able to stop it if Godzilla didn’t?

“They also say Godzilla is sapient, which I have a hard time believing,” Amara spoke. “I feel like the whole balancing thing he does is just instinctual. When that dragon appeared, it threatened Godzilla’s dominance and so he went for the kill. It just happened to be beneficial for us.”

Dr. Park looked Amara in the eye. “You really think that’s all there was to it?”

“I mean I respect him and the rest of the titans, but I don’t believe that they’re gods.”

“I’m still not sure what to think,” Dr. Park replied as she steered the boat further out. “Now can we talk about something else? All this Godzilla talk is making me uncomfortable out here.”

Amara’s gaze followed the displaced water rushing along the hull of the vessel as it moved. Why she was out here in the first place was beyond her understanding. Much like other biologists, her passion came from wanting to know how the world works. But to do that, she had to overcome her fear.

“Amara, come look!” Dr. Park exclaimed.

Amara was beside her in an instant. Up ahead, a distant shape of a bottlenose dolphin emerged from the water. She grabbled the old pair of binoculars off the nearby table and looked out again.

“Are they hunting or is this social behavior?” she asked still watching the pod.

“This is social, see how they’re jumping and landing on their sides? Purely for play.”

Amara went back to the table in search of her notebook. The edges of the pages were water damaged, fluttering under the leather cover. She propped the book on her stomach as she hastily wrote down notes while Dr. Park spewed various dolphin facts from the top of her head.

Dr. Park cut the engine once they were a good viewing distance. After every few words, Amara lifted her head to watch the frolicking mammals. She had seen dolphins before, but never this close. They made all sorts of noises as they played, communicating their glee to one another.

Dr. Park made her way to the lower part of the deck, sitting down with her rubber boot clad feet dangling above the water and resting her arms on the lower part of the railing.

After a moment of hesitation, Amara followed. She stood beside the biologist whose eyes were intently watching the dolphins.

“They won’t hurt you. Just try sitting for a moment,” Dr. Park said, patting the spot beside her.

It was silly that something as simple as sitting with her feet dangling off the side was causing her so much stress, but that didn’t make it any less frightening. As unlikely as it was, anything could come out of the blue and grab her and pull her down into the darkness. Never to be seen again.

She crouched down, one hand on the railing. Her feet wouldn’t even be in the water, just above it. If dolphins were here, then there were no predators around. Nothing to eat her. Nothing to drown her. It was fine. She was fine.

Ever so carefully, Amara readjusted herself into the same position Dr. Park contently sat.

“Don’t forget to breathe, Amara,” Dr. Park said with a smile once Amara put both feet of the edge of the boat.

Amara opened her mouth to inhale the salty air. This wasn’t so bad.

Then she looked down.

Just below her feet was an icy darkness beneath the surface. Darkness that could conceal even the most deadly or gruesome creature. It could be just under them now. Waiting for its moment to—

Cold water splashed at Amara’s face nearly sending her reeling back in surprise.

The dolphins had swum up to the boat. A juvenile breaching the surface had caused the splash. They swam all around the boat, curious and energetic, as if they knew the pair wasn’t a threat.

The shape of their pale bodies painted life under the black surface of the dark abyss. They had no fear, freely dancing in the deep ocean. It was unfair.

A sleek gray head popped out of the water, practically underneath Amara’s feet. It was almost ironic, fearing what grotesque monstrosity could be lurking under the surface, then something as beautiful as a dolphin to appear in its stead.

The dolphin clucked and whistled, spinning its body in a circle under the water while its head remained above.

“I’ve interacted with this pod many times,” Dr. Park said in a gentle tone. “This is the closest they’ve gotten yet. Reach your hand out and see if he comes to it.”

“Isn’t there a rule about not touching wild animals?” It was a rhetorical question.

Dr. Park winked. “Yes, but there’s no rule about them touching you.”

Amara gazed intently at the dolphin who seemed to be trying to get her attention back from the Doctor. Taking the glove off her hand, she reached it out, palm facing the surface.

The dolphin predictably disappeared under the water in an instant. Still, she held her arm out.

“Relax Amara, they can sense your fear.”

Amara inhaled deeply and exhaled. “Is that actually true?”

“It is when I can feel it too,” Dr. Park replied with a chuckle.

Dr. Park took exaugurated deep breaths for Amara to follow. Nothing was going to grab her. The dolphins were friendly. There was nothing to worry about. If they were comfortable, then she should be too.

It was a decent day, not hot, but not too cold either. The sky was blanketed by clouds. The only sounds were the gulls flying overhead and the playful chatter of the dolphins. It was peaceful.

The dolphin’s head appeared out of the water again. This time just below Amara’s hand. It stayed there for a moment, then raised its body further up until its nose brushed her palm.

A wild creature just touched her. Willingly, without fear.

“Amazing,” Dr. Park said under her breath.

The moment was short lived as the dolphin dove back under and began to play with the other members of his pod.

“Do you want to go in?”

Amara whipped her head towards Dr. Park. “No!”

She had never dove into water this deep before. Even the shallow waters she had plunged into previously were plenty deep enough.

“Come on, today could be the day you finally get over your fear.”

Amara shook her head. “I don’t know…”

“Sometimes you just gotta dive into the deep end!”

This woman sometimes.

“That was a little too on the head, don’t you think?” Amara asked, making a show of rolling her eyes.

“I’ll think of a better one while you put on your suit.”

Despite the bad pun, Dr. Park was right, it was time to dive in. She’d come this far, why stop now? Bravely, Amara stood and headed back up the steps to the table. Beside it was a container that held her and Dr. Park’s diving suits.

As she put it on, Dr. Park’s voice rang over the breeze, praising the creatures swimming around them. With the body suit fully on, she grabbed the remaining gear and went back to Dr. Park, so she could assist her.

Flippers on and scuba gear attached, Amara was ready to jump in. The sun had found a hole in the clouds and shone down onto the navy water making the darkness less prevalent.

Amara nodded to the doctor, the snorkel already in her mouth. It was now or never. She was going to actually do it.

“Remember, you don’t even have to let go of the ladder if you don’t want. I’ll be right here.”

Dr. Park’s words echoed back and forth through her mind, jumbled with other thoughts, before the meaning became clear. Amara nodded stiffly and began to climb down the ladder into the water.

She didn’t even have to let go of the railing. She didn’t have to look down. All she needed to do was focus on the dolphins around her. Just the dolphins.

With her feet still planted on the bottom rung, she submerged her head. Thanks to the sun, it wasn’t nearly as dark as she’d thought. The water around her was a beautiful shade of azure and quite clear.

The dolphins now swam around her, not bothering to hide their curiosity. She kept her eyes on the ones at her level, the ones that swam below disappearing from her vision. One dolphin came straight up to her before spinning away. The one that she touched, possibly?

Over time she grew more comfortable. Letting a hand and foot off the ladder and even petting some of the dolphins as they approached. It was actually fun. The dolphins were friendly, and the boat was right there behind—

A deep sound filled the water. The sound was loud, sending vibrations throughout her entire being. It called the dolphins attention away from her and into the distance where she could not see. They swam away, their bodies disappearing into the blue.

Amara climbed back up the ladder and pulled off her mouth piece. “There’s a whale nearby, did you hear it?”

Dr. Park was already at the sonar. “I did,” she called back. “I’m turning off the sonar now, so we don’t scare it away.”

Silence fell over them as Amara and Dr. Park turned their eyes towards the water, waiting for a puff of air or a tail to appear.

They waited, listening. Then the sound again. Loud and deep, even out of the water.

“It’s strange.”

Amara twisted her neck around to where Dr. Park was now standing on the deck behind her.

“I’ve never heard a call quite like this before.”

Before Amara could answer, a huge puff of air arose from the surface off in the distance.

“There it is!” Dr. Park nearly squealed. “Dive under and see if you can spot it.”

Amara climbed back down the ladder. Even she couldn’t argue with the biologist. Would she actually get to see a whale underwater?

Back below the surface, the blueness of the water blocked her vision. It was almost darker in the direction they spotted the whale. Maybe…maybe she could swim out just a little from the boat, just to catch a glimpse of it.

Just a glimpse.

She unwound her hand from the ladder and gently paddled out. She was just below the surface, her eyes trained forward. The darkness ahead was odd, it didn’t quite reach the surface, nor did it extend into the navy blue depths of the water either. Whatever it was, it made it difficult to discern the silhouette of a whale.

Why couldn’t she see it?

Then, in the area above the dark mass, another dark shape appeared. Long and slender, swimming elegantly up towards the surface. Then another, from below the mass, slowly arching as if it didn’t have a care in the world.

As she got closer, more whale silhouettes where illuminated by the underwater sunlight, circling the darkness.

Even the mass itself seemed to be moving as the rays bounced off the top of it, almost as if it, too, had life. Its dark shape became clearer, as if it had a head and tail on either side of its mass.

No… it did have a tail. It was moving, ever so slowly. The whole thing was…rotating. Spinning its body in a slow circle while the whales swam around it.

Unmistakably shaped spines came into view under the sunlight. A whisper of cyan blue emanating from them.

She stopped swimming.

Why had she left the boat? Why had she come out on this expedition? Why her? Why now?

Why, why, _why_?

Her body wouldn’t move. She was frozen.

It was…he was…

Huge.

The whales looked like nothing more than fish swimming around it.

It could kill her without even knowing of her existence. Open its mouth and swallow her whole, and all she would do it watch it happen, paralyzed. Would it be able to sense it too? Her fear? Her despair?

As if the titan heard her, the shape of its head moved. Two blue dots shone brightly through the water. His eyes.

He was looking straight at her.

This was it. This was the end.

With a bright flash of blue, an audible pulse ripped through the water, physically pushing her back. A whale like moan pieced her ears, louder than anything she’d ever heard before.

It snapped her out of her stupor and sent her swimming back towards the vessel. She swam as fast as her legs could go, not daring to look behind her.

_Get to the boat._


	2. Connections

Amara pumped her legs faster and faster. Which direction was the boat? Was she even going the right way?

Her vision was clouded with blue. There was no other choice, she had to surface. She arched her body upwards until her head broke the surface. Uninterrupted water spanned for miles. Nothing! There was nothing. No land, no boat, no Dr. Park.

She twisted her body around, scanning the area behind her. Mid turn, movement caught her eye sending a jolt of fear down her spine.

No, it was the boat!

Flinging her arms into a paddle, she spit the mouthpiece out and began to scream for the doctor’s attention. Her mind and lips refused to form coherent words and instead chose to shriek until Dr. Park sprung into action, bringing the boat closer.

What felt like an eternity later, she finally made it to the boat. Dr. Park’s words were nearly inaudible over Amara’s panicked screams. She reached up and grabbed at Dr. Park’s arm before the woman could properly get a grip on her hand.

“Amara, calm down! Amara!”

Not paying the doctor’s words any heed, she continued to grab at anything she could get a grip on and aimed her flippers at the rungs of the ladder.

“We have to leave!” Amara finally screeched out.

He could be right under them. Ready to strike, ready to eat her alive. No one would know her fate, lost forever in the belly of a monster.

She fell into the boat in a wet heap. Dr. Park’s hands were on her in an instant, most likely checking for injuries. There was no time for that! She pushed the woman’s hands off her.

“What’s going on?” Dr. Park asked as she attempted to grab at Amara’s flailing limbs.

Amara pulled her arm out of the doctor’s grasp and yanked off her flippers. If Dr. Park wasn’t going to get them out of here, then she would. She got onto her feet and sprung up the stairs to the steering wheel.

She pointed the boat towards the nearest part of land and floored it. They had to get out of the water.

Dr. Park appeared at her side. “Amara, can you _please_ tell me what’s going on?” Her voice was raised over the wind that whipped at her pony tail.

Not looking the woman in the eye, Amara answered, “He’s here.”

Dr. Park opened her mouth, then closed it when a look of realization crossed her face. “You don’t mean—”

“Godzilla!”

The doctor’s mouth hung agape. “Are—are you sure?”

“Yes! He looked right at me!”

Without another word, Dr. Park disappeared from Amara’s side. She craned her neck back to see where the woman had gone.

Dr. Park stood in front of the sonar, the image on the screen flashing to life. The doctor’s fingers froze above the controls when a mass of orange took up half of the black screen.

He was close. Too close. Were these her final moments?

Would it be painful?

Salt water splashed her eyes. They burned as her vision blurred. The island was close though. Close enough to make out the green foliage of the trees. Why wouldn’t this boat go any faster?

“Amara, slow down a bit.”

Slow down? _Slow down?_ Was this woman crazy? This was Godzilla, the titan that destroyed two cities!

“Why would I slow down? He’s coming!”

“No, he’s not. He’s hardly moved.” Dr. Park was back at her side, a stern look on her face. How could she be so calm?

“I don’t care!”

“Amara! He’s not attacking, now slow down the boat before you crash into that island!”

Dr. Park reached in front of Amara’s body and pulled the lever into neutral. The engine noise quieted, and the wind became a soft breeze once again. Amara looked the doctor in the eyes.

Dr. Park was crazy. That was the only explanation. Surely, if she had been the one in the water, she wouldn’t be so calm. No one this close to a monster should be so…unaffected.

“Amara, breathe.”

A shallow breath escaped her nose while Dr. Park asked her a question.

Instead of answering, Amara scanned the coast of the island. It wasn’t that far now. Maybe she could swim?

“Amara!” Dr. Park’s raised voice drew back her attention. “Now tell me exactly what you saw,” she repeated.

Amara’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “He was swimming…with the whales.”

Dr. Park eyes widened, but not in surprise. “That’s it?”

Amara nodded.

“Was he…doing anything else?”

She shook her head.

“And then you panicked, and he looked at you?” Dr. Park asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah.”

“Did he do anything else?”

The loud noise and the intensity of the shockwave invaded her mind like a shotgun going off beside her ear.

“He made a pulse in the water. It pushed me back.”

Dr. Parks brows furrowed. “Did it hurt you?”

“No, I just felt really overwhelmed, then I started swimming back to the boat.”

Dr. Park merely nodded with a far away look in her eyes. She sat down at the table and began to jot down notes in her journal.

The black sonar screen was still half covered in orange. The titan was still there, lurking under the surface. As Dr. Park said, it was still in the same spot. No closer or farther than it had been.

The news mentioned Godzilla dropped off the radar near Florida a few days ago. Monarch stated it only happened when he traveled through one of the so-called hollow earth tunnels. It always took them days to relocate the titan again since the tunnels seemed to go anywhere. The previous time they lost him was two weeks ago when he disappeared from the Arctic and was sighted next in the Indian Ocean.

They were just off the coat of Los Angeles, California, one of the most prevalent spots for blue whale sightings. If only those were all she saw, but no, he was here too.

Did that mean there was a tunnel under North America?

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I want to stay here and study him.”

Amara must have made a face because the doctor quickly added to her statement, “I can drop you off at the island first, of course.”

She didn’t have to study him, as there were already hundreds, if not thousands of scientists all rready doing so. Besides, it was illegal to even be this close to the titan.

“You can’t be serious. We’re supposed to report him to the authorities and get as far away as possible.”

“No, we can’t tell anyone. The military would be all over the area and I don’t want them disturbing the whales, or Godzilla for that matter.”

How could she not want to notify the police? They were only 60 miles out from the coast of a state that’s already been devastated by this particular creature. The population of California alone had almost halved between the destruction of San Francisco and people simply moving farther inland.

“Why aren’t you afraid?”

“You said it yourself, he’s just swimming, right? With the whales?”

“Yes, they were circling him.”

It was obvious what Dr. Park was trying to do. Trying to convince her that this predator wasn’t a threat to them or anyone else around. Just because he wasn’t on the hunt, didn’t mean he couldn’t turn at any moment.

“He’s not displaying any signs of aggression or territorial behavior.”

“You can’t be serious. He’s the apex predator of apex predators!” Amara said throwing her hands up. “If you approached a lion laying in the sun, it would attack you without a second thought.”

“I’m starting to agree with the Monarch scientists that he’s not a predator at all.”

Didn’t they just talk about this? For a scientist, she was acting very irrationally.

“He is not a peacekeeper, he is an animal that has risen to the top of the food chain and kills anything that threatens that spot.”

The MUTO’s were said to be an exception to that. If what Monarch said was true, their spores were attached to another of Godzilla’s deceased species and speculated to be specially adapted to fighting Godzilla’s kind.

“This is our chance to prove that for ourselves.”

“We can’t publish a paper on Godzilla; we’d get arrested for illegally researching him.”

“We won’t publish it on Godzilla, rather how the whales act around him. I’ll have to go into the water to see it for myself, but if the whales are indeed swimming with him it could further prove that he is not a threat. Not now, not ever.”

Amara’s eyes once again found their way to the monitor. The orange mass was moving ever so slowly on it, like a cloud drifting across the sky.

Any fear Dr. Park may have had was completely gone. At this point she was more like the Crocodile Hunter himself, dangling a deadly snake from her bare hands and telling her what a beautiful and misunderstood creature it was.

And there was something to be respected from that.

Monarch was dead set on proving how beneficial the titans were to the planet. Article after article was written, claiming that they are restoring habitats and kickstarting life in their wake due to their unique radiation. The research was all brand new, but it was raising more speculation than awareness.

Amara’s eyes traveled from the island ahead to the water behind them.

Was it possible that it was actually true? Maybe the whales did have something to do with the symbiotic relationship that the titans were claimed to have with the planet. Did Godzilla not only have a connection to the earth, but to the animals as well?

“All right.”

Dr. Park’s face lit up with a smile. “And here I was sure you were going to call me crazy.”

“Don’t worry, I’m still thinking it.”

Was she really going to do this just like that? Godzilla was at best unpredictable, and at worst, violent. If he were to try anything or even react suddenly, they would be dead. But dear sweet biologist, Mi Sun Park, deemed the titan worthy of her affection despite any consequences it may have, be they death or jail.

Amara gave the woman a sideways glance. “I hope you know I’m not going anywhere near him again.”

Dr. Park nodded, already heading back to her journal, most likely to jot down more notes. “I think we should start by analyzing his calls. They are remarkably similar to the whales’, so I’m curious to see if they can actually communicate.”

“You want me to put out the hydrophones, then?” Amara got up from the steering wheel. Despite the calmness of her voice, her legs shook.

“Yes please,” The doctor replied with a quick smile before going back to her notes. 

Amara took out the underwater microphones from their designated box. All she had to do was go to the edge of the boat and throw them over.

Leaning over the railing, however, was now quite intimidating. Ignoring the image of massive teeth under the surface, she instead glanced over at the sonar for possibly the hundredth time.

He was still where he was supposed to be, far away from them.

She tossed the equipment over the edge, not daring to look into the water as she did.

Why was she doing this again?

…

“I can’t believe it,” Dr. Park said for the tenth time in a row.

They sat side by side at the table where they now had a laptop set up recording the underwater sounds. They both wore headphones, listening closely to the noise from below.

Sure enough, the whales’ song was clear as day. Low moans and beats like a drum, an unmistakable sound unique to the blue whale. Clicks and squeals indicated the dolphins were also nearby, playful as ever. Then, something deeper, and louder. Strikingly similar to the whales, yet completely different. Even when the sound was a higher pitch, it rumbled from somewhere deep within the beast.

“Is he mimicking the whales?” Amara asked, finally voicing the question on her mind.

“I have no doubt that he’s learned their language. He’s far from perfect from what I can hear, but the whales seem perfectly able to understand and respond to him.” The look of wonder never left Dr. Park’s eyes.

Godzilla was the last of his species as far as anyone could tell. Did he seek out the whales for companionship in his long, isolated life?

It was easy to assume that like most predators—which he was no matter what Dr. Park said—he was a solitary hunter, content to be on his own. But after witnessing this, maybe that was wrong. Maybe his species were pack animals and highly social in nature.

The thought of more than one Godzilla was enough to make her skin crawl.

Dr. Park took off her headphones and stood. “I’m going in.”

 _She’s doing what now_?

“Come again?”

“The water, Amara,” Dr. Park enunciated slowly, “I’m going in.”

“Are you sure that’s not being the _tiniest_ bit irrational?” Amara looked on in disbelief as the doctor gathered her scuba gear.

“Seek not to fear, but to understand.”

That was easier said than done. Fear was an instinct. It is the reason life could evolve from its most basic form. The only thing that could conquer fear was intelligence. The ability to rationalize what one was afraid of and why. Because of that, one could overcome their fear of the unnecessary and begin to learn from it, to understand it.

But it was very rational to fear Godzilla.

He wasn’t a harmless spider that crawled into someone’s home. He wasn’t a honey bee on a nearby flower. He was a force of nature. He was a living mountain. He was an iceberg that could sink a ship. He was a bomb that levelled cities.

Dr. Park finished zipping up her suit and slung the oxygen tank over her shoulder. She pressed a button on her full-face mask and the walkie talkie on the table came to life.

“Testing, testing.”

The wind picked up and Amara brushed her dark hair behind her ear and grabbed the device off the table. “Loud and clear.”

Dr. Park gave a thumbs up. “Don’t wait up!”

Without a trace of hesitation, the fearless biologist dove into the dark water. With a flash of her yellow flippers, she disappeared completely beneath the surface.

The boat was suddenly quiet. Eerily quiet. Amara sat back in front of the sonar and clipped the walkie talkie on a belt loop of her utility pants. The monitor now displayed another small dot heading out towards the mass.

Would he roar at her too?

Minutes ticked away like hours. The small blip on the screen was half way there now, Godzilla being about a mile away from the boat. What would Dr. Park do when she saw him? Would she freeze in fear, or would she continue towards him unfazed?

Finally, the dot closed in on the mass. The only discernible movements on the monitor were the oval shapes of the whales appearing and disappearing from around beast. Minutes passed with no change.

Then, Dr. Park swam closer.

And closer.

She was right there with him and the whales!

Amara raised the walkie talkie to her mouth, the press to talk button’s location eluding her, despite having used it countless times before.

“Dr—Dr. Park?”

Silence.

She tried again. This time after a moment, a buzz filled the air.

“Amara…he’s beautiful.” The Mr. Park’s voice was quiet. “I’ve never…”

Beautiful? She was staring death in the face and calling it beautiful? Were they seeing the same Godzilla?

It was unfair that Dr. Park could get so close without him reacting to her at all. Maybe if Godzilla hadn’t roared at her, she could have gotten over her fear too. She could have let the shock pass and just watch the creature swim in peace like Dr. Park could.

Dr. Park’s speck joined the whales, contently swimming around the titan. Was it because of her fearlessness that she was a world-renowned marine biologist?

On the top of the monitor a small digital clock read one thirty. Amara pressed the button on the walkie talkie. “It’s been almost an hour, you should probably come back now and at least get a new tank.”

“Ah, thanks for reminding me. I’m on my way,” Dr. Park replied, the disappointment heavy in her voice.

It was only a few minutes before Dr. Park surfaced near the boat. Amara assisted her out of the water and unfastened her tank.

When Dr. Park took off her mask, she beamed at Amara, her porcelain skin nearly glowing. It was only a matter of time before she was about to go on a novel length rant on how amazing Godzilla was and then manage to convince her to go back in and give him a chance.

Too bad for her, that was not going to happen.

…

Dr. Park helped secure Amara’s scuba mask before readjusting her own.

Sure enough, after praising the titan all through their lunch break, Dr. Park did it again.

“Now, “Dr. Park’s voice sounded through the mask speaker, “What are we going to do differently this time?”

“Don’t get scared because he’s not going to eat me.”

“Precisely. The only thing I can think of is that he reacted to your fear. So, no fear, no reaction.”

Amara nodded, the lump in her throat preventing any sort of confident answer.

Apparently satisfied, Dr. Park jumped back into the water as if it were a second home to her. She looked up at Amara expectantly.

No fear. No fear, no reaction. Dr. Park said that he completely ignored her presence until she swam up next to his head and he spared her a single glance. Of course, she had been elated. Crazy woman.

Amara climbed down the railing, gripping the rungs as someone would grip their last thread of life. Dr. Park held out her hand for Amara to grab, and only then did she dare let go of the ladder.

Under the water it was even brighter and clearer than before. The sun was shining high in the sky, visible even from under the waves.

Schools of fish swam nearby, their scales catching the light as they moved. Even the dolphins could be seen further away. The blackness of the depths below was much deeper now, making the ocean waters more beautiful than menacing. Dr. Park’s presence, no doubt, also having a profound effect on her nerves. 

Then, in the distance, the black mass materialized out of the blue. Already he was much clearer in the distance, Dr. Park’s hand pulling her closer to the creature. And then she stopped.

No longer was he lazily floating with the current. He was still. He was…looking at them.

“Don’t be afraid, Amara.”

Was it just her, or did the doctor not sound as confident as before?

A humming pulse rippled through the water accompanied by a flash of blue emanating from his dorsal plates. And then another, like a heart beat. The whales fled.

She was afraid. Very afraid.

“I think he hates me.”

Dr. Park could swim up to his face and he hardly acknowledged her presence. Then she got in the water and he immediately got pissed off? How was that fair?

“Let’s just start swimming back very slowly.”

The doctor pulled at her hand as she started to paddle backwards. Amara neither helped nor resisted.

Was it actually her fear that triggered him? How could one human’s emotions cause such a negative reaction from a titan? To him, humans were insignificant, tiny, and powerless. Not even the military’s strongest weapon could truly kill him.

Maybe she was invading his personal space? Bombarding his heightened senses with her terror? Was Dr. Park worthy of being in his presence and she was not?

From the distance it seemed impossible, but there was no doubt that he was staring directly at her. Not Dr. Park, her.

Pain, sharp and hot, seared through her skull. She brought her hand up to her forehead, only to come into contact with her mask instead.

Didn’t he have anything better to do than to scare her? He should swim away, not them. If he didn’t like her presence, that was his problem, not hers. He didn’t know anything about her so who was he to judge?

The beast’s mouth opened and a roar that was both a screech and an impossibly deep rumble overwhelmed her senses. Louder than a jet engine and more forceful than a tidal wave. It made the speakers in her ear mask crackle and her ears ring.

By the time she regained her senses, he was gone.

Not knowing his location did nothing to ease her terror. He could be anywhere, behind or even…below. Following their intertwined hands, Amara found Dr. Park’s frightened face. She was fiddling with her mask and her lips were moving. It was no use. Godzilla’s roar was loud enough to blow out the speakers.

This time it was Amara who pulled the doctor back towards the boat. They had no time to spare, he could come out of anywhere and eat them whole.

They climbed back onto the boat and flopped onto the deck.

Amara sat up and pulled off her mask and threw it onto the floor. Dr. Park still lay there, her heavy breathing visible she pulled off her mask too.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into that!” Amara forcefully shrugged off the oxygen tank.

She’d nearly been killed twice that day because of Dr. Park trying to push her out of her comfort zone.

“I swear Amara, I didn’t think he would have such a profound reaction to you. I’m so sorry,” Dr. Park said as she, too, sat up.

Amara’s head still pounded to the pace of her heart. “Yeah well, screw marine life. I’m done with water forever. He can stay down there, and I can stay up here. I never want to see a titan again, not him or any other. You think he’s _so_ smart, when he acts no different than any other animal on this planet!”

Dr. Park remained calm. “We are also animals on this planet, don’t forget. Just now when we were afraid, we went back to our most basic instincts as well.”

This time, Dr. Park’s soothing tone had no effect or her. This whole trip had been one big mistake. She should have gone to the mountains to study bears instead. But no, she came here. Right into Godzilla’s territory.

“That’s it. I’m calling the coast guard. I’m not staying here another minute with that thing under the water.” Amara waved her hand at the doctor as she stomped up the stairs.

“Amara, I know that was a frightening experience, but I’ve never seen you angry before, it’s not like you.”

“We’ve only known each other for two weeks, Dr. Park,” Amara groaned out.

Dr. Park was right though. Anger wasn’t an emotion she made a habit of feeling. At least, not like this. But after two near death experiences, it was perfectly justified.

Amara sat down in front of the steering wheel ready to put it into gear. Was Dr. Park not going to say anything? Normally she would be there in an instant to talk her out of it.

She turned around to find Dr. Park standing in front of the sonar screen. She was just staring at it, unmoving. Her body blocked the monitor, so Amara couldn’t see what it displayed.

She got up, now acutely aware of how quiet it was. “Dr. Park?”

A flash of glowing light from the side of the boat drew her attention away from the doctor and towards the railing.

What…was that?

She opened her mouth to accommodate her shallow panting. As if her legs were possessed by an unknown force, she took slow steps towards the edge of the boat.

“Amara, don’t.” Dr. Park’s voice was quiet.

Still she took another step, and another. She placed her hand on the railing. Her knuckles turned white as she slowly bent over to look.

Another flash of pale blue. The light from below outlined a dark shape directly under the boat, perfectly still. Her eyes focused under the surface.

A face.

She stilled. Not even a breath escaped her lips.

Godzilla stared straight at her from under the water. His eyes somewhere between brown and amber. His nostrils were flared, nearly breaking the surface. The sun lit up his dark scales, making every feature of his face visible to the naked eye. Another pulse of blue flashed from his body directly below.

His eyes narrowed, and he flexed his jaw to expose more pointed teeth. The expression on his face clear as day. Never had she seen an animal make such an obvious expression. Frustration.

Her headache throbbed as a loud whale-like moan broke the surface. It started low and increased in both pitch and volume until she was forced to cover her ears.

His face vanished from below the boat. The current changed direction and became violent. Luminescent spikes broke the surface, then a massive tail, and then nothing remained but the splash of water that drenched her and the boat.

He was gone, again.

Amara fell back into the boat in a heap. There was only one thing to be understood about this creature: he was meant to be feared.


	3. The Unwanted Visitor

Amara stretched. Nothing was better than waking up surrounded by the comfort your own bed. Sunlight peeked in through the partially closed curtains of her apartment window. Not bothering to look at the time, she rolled over to face the wall. It was nice to finally sleep in.

She had got home the previous afternoon. After the whole “Godzilla” incident in California, she spent the last few days in her hotel room working with Dr. Park on her practicum assignment. She ended up doing most of it on her own due to Dr. Park’s new obsession with Godzilla and the whales.

It took another half hour for her to finally get out of bed. She padded over the laminate flooring to the small kitchen of her studio apartment, opening the ivory curtains on her way. The counter was still covered in dishes waiting to be put away in their respective spots. They could wait till later.

After making a cup of coffee she plopped back onto her unmade bed and flicked on the T.V. Taking a sip of the cream and sugar filled coffee, the news poured into her ears.

“—Are you saying the military has still not changed their minds even though the titans are no longer a threat and instead shown to be improving the earth’s ecosystems?” A woman asked on one half on the screen.

A decorated man was on the other side of the screen. Secretary of Defence was displayed on the banner below him. “No evidence has yet to prove that without a doubt. However, the titan’s destructive force has been proven on multiple occasions in the recent past. Just because Monster Zero is gone, doesn’t mean another will appear and cause another extinction level event in the future.”

“Isn’t the military developing weapons in the event that happens?”

“We believe in anticipating and not reacting. Every second counts when it comes to these titans and that’s a risk we cannot take.”

Amara flipped through the channels in search of something more mindless to watch. The constant titan debate was growing more and more tiring to listen to.

As much as good as the titans were doing, the military was right. All it took was another to rise as the hydra did to send the world spiraling into chaos once again. Millions died during the mass awakening only two months ago. It was nothing more than pure luck that she lived in a place that wasn’t build on top of an ancient titan’s back. 

But who knows, there still could be. It was speculated that not all responded to Monster Zero’s call.

Nowhere was safe from them. Godzilla could swim across the ocean in a matter of days, the volcanic bird, Rodan, could fly overhead and wipe out a city, and a continent was nothing to the mammoth like the titan, Behemoth.

It was just too bad that their death was the only answer.

A clip of three oriental men placing a Godzilla statue on top of a parade float appeared on the screen.

“Meanwhile, Japan is gearing up for their first ever “Gojira” themed festival. The event is set to be held on the day Godzilla first appeared in twenty fourteen, honoring the beast as a guardian of both man and nature.” A female newscasters voice narrated the scene. “The country has become smitten with the king of the monsters and completely against eradication of all titans.”

Japan wasn’t the only country against titan eradication. Various othes spanning across the globe disagreed with the majority. On the topic of titans, the world was divided.

Maybe those counties would change their tone if they too looked Godzilla in the eye as he loomed in the water below them.

The image was embedded in her mind. The face he made was uncanny. Glaring up at her like she was his sworn enemy, as if he was deciding whether or not to eat her alive. Neither her nor Dr. Park spoke the entire way back. The only memento from the occasion was the persisting throb of a headache. It had nearly gone away when she arrived home, but now the pain was coming back with a vengeance.

She went to the bathroom to pop a pain pill. The market was today and there was no way a headache was going to stop her from going.

She proceeded to get ready for the day, tucking her blouse into her pleated skirt and slipping on her shoes.

As she grabbed her small purse off the entry table she glanced at a framed picture of a young girl with green eyes receiving a gold metal. Her hair was dishevelled, and her face was red from exertion. Both the girl and the instructor were smiling proudly at the camera. It was the first gold she’d ever earned. 

Out the door and down the elevator, Amara was on her way to the market. It was a beautiful summer day on the island, which wasn’t a surprise since Victoria was known to have some of the mildest weather in the country. The market was set up along one of the many harbors of the city.

Beautiful handmade items adorned the displays, from handmade bowls made from smooth pebbles to jewellery carved from driftwood. Up until recently, the themes were normally marine animals and local wildlife, but now the art depicted images of titans, many she couldn’t even put a name to yet. 

She took her time wandering the stalls. The forty dollars in her purse was her personal market allowance and was only to be spent on the perfect item. Only one more year of being a poor student, then— _then_ financial freedom would be hers. 

Her head began to pound behind her eyes. Why wasn’t the pain medication working?

Chatter among the people became noticeably louder. People’s wandering paces quickened, and venders started to pack up.

What was going on?

Amara walked up to the nearest vendor. An old man hastily stuffing his pictures into a box.

“Excuse me, is the market closing early?”

The man’s wild eyes only glanced at her while he continued packing. “They spotted Godzilla off the south coast!”

Godzilla was…here? Of all places? That was impossible. Monarch published his territorial routes and they hardly even came close to the island. Now, as soon as she got back, he was _here_?

“Well don’t just stand there, go!” The man’s voice grated through her ears like nails on a chalkboard.

“Do you know if they’re evacuating the island?”

The man grabbed a cart from behind his booth and loaded the boxes haphazardly onto it. “No idea, but I sure am. I don’t know if he’s good or bad or what, but I sure ’s hell don’t want to find out.”

With that, the man dragged his cart away.

Instead of leaving like the rest of the sane people around her, she stood, rooted to the spot. The pain in her head more prevalent than ever. What were the odds that he was here? He was ruining everything. First her internship, now her personal life. What was next? Was he going to knock down her apartment building?

Noises of panic drilled into her ears. Distant yells, car engines, sirens. Voices carried over megaphones announced evacuation procedures; either to the north end of the island or off it completely. 

Pain radiated through her skull and behind her eyes. She brought a hand up to her forehead, blocking the blinding sunlight from her vision. Forget evacuating, curing up and going to sleep was the only thing on her mind.

She walked back towards her apartment. Every movement slow and deliberate to avoid the taste of bile in the back of her throat. Crowds of people rushed past her, ignoring her presence completely. Her hearing grew dull, as if she was back underwater with Dr. Park. Maybe if she listened hard enough, she would hear the whales.

Would Godzilla do anything? Would he come up on land and level the city? Was there something here he wanted? A source of radiation? If there was, it was unknown to her.

The elevator to her apartment dinged and the doors opened, releasing a mass of people carrying their small pets and closest possessions. Once it was cleared of people, she entered. It dinged when stopped on her floor. She navigated through the crowd waiting to go back down and unlocked her door.

She beelined to her bed. No medicine, no water. Dropping her bag on the floor, she climbed onto the mattress and pulled the duvet over her head. Finally, she could go to sleep and dream of…water.

…

The city below was dark. Her migraine had receded to the back of her head as she stood in front of the window. Normally, the windows of surrounding buildings burst with light and the streets below were flooded with cars. Only the street lights and wail of emergency vehicles remained in the wake of Godzilla’s arrival off the coast.

This was the quietest the city has ever been for the entirety of her twenty-two year life here.

She flipped on the TV and changed it to the local news.

The entire south half of the island was evacuated. Ferries were overcapacity, carrying as many people off the island as possible. The coastal cities of Washington state were also evacuated. Everyone was preparing for the worst of the titan who was dwelling just off of south coast of the island only blocks away from her building.

Various civilian interviews began to play.

“We don’t know what to think. All I knew was that I had to get my kids out of the city,” said a woman carrying her small son.

“What I want to know is why the military hasn’t killed it yet,” said a man. “Clearly they don’t know anything more than we do.” There was a sudden cheer in the background at the man’s words.

“I used to be pro-titan, but I—I’m not sure what to think anymore. What if he turns on us too?”

“I think we should just kill it.”

“Lead it out to the ocean and blow it up!”

“Kill it before it kills us!”

Amara turned it off.

It was hard listening to people speak like that. They had a right to be angry, but Godzilla had yet to actually do anything. He just swam too close to the island.

The sudden urge to go to the out to the water was peculiar. The rational thing to do would be to pack up and leave like everyone else. But no, she wanted to go see for herself. Maybe she would scare him off, seeing as he hated her so much.

Besides, it wasn’t like Godzilla was going to walk out of the water and eat her, right? The city was abandoned, so who would stop her?

…

Oh right. The military.

The nearest south beach was covered in military personnel. Helicopters hovered over the distant water. Was that where Godzilla was?

Thankfully, she hadn’t been spotted. Maybe she would try another beach further off. She picked up an abandoned bicycle off the side of a building and rode off to a more desolate location.

Why was she suddenly so intent on seeing the creature? It was only that morning that she was ready to forget everything to do with him, and now here she was, probably doing something illegal.

She wasn’t that different than the people on the TV. If Godzilla were harm people unprovoked, there would be no reason not to kill him. He was just too powerful to be left alone just because of the small chance of another titan causing chaos.

She got off the bike and stepped out onto the smooth rocks of a quiet beach.

And yet, here she was.

She slipped off her shoes and took careful steps towards the lapping shore.

Alone and in the dark.

The cold water splashed between her toes.

Trying to catch a glimpse of him.

She waded in deeper, her legs moving on their own accord until the water reached the hem of her skirt. Pointed rocks jabbed into the soles of her feet and the icy water sent goosebumps across her skin.

Her headache returned ten-fold. Blue clouded her vision. The sound of lapping waves was drowned out with nothingness, like her ears needed to pop. Or as if she was…underwater?

Did she have a concussion she wasn’t aware of? Hit her head back on the boat when she was panicking? It was the best explanation for her headache and strange behaviour. She was standing the ocean like an idiot in the middle of the night for absolutely no good reason what so ever.

No, getting worked up about it wasn’t going to help. Instead, she closed her eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. She was in control of her mind, not the opposite. She would simply get into her old car and leave the island like everyone else. Go see a doctor.

The pain seemed to lesson, or rather, focus in on a single spot on her forehead, like someone yanking on a string attached to the inside of her skull. It tugged and tugged until she nearly took another step into the salty water.

She ground her teeth together, but not at the pain.

What was happening? Why had she come so far for him, he was nothing, insignificant like all the rest. What made him so different? He was small, weak, powerless. Yet he had come all this way, drawn to her.

Huh? Not him, her.

What?

What were these thoughts. Godzilla wasn’t insignificant or weak. This anger—this frustration, it wasn’t like her. The pain of the headache was really getting to her.

Amara spun around to face the land when the loud whirring sound of approaching helicopters filled the night air. She craned her neck as they flew overhead and out to the water. Less than a minute later, vehicles swarmed the rocky beach while men materialized out from the gaps of the trees that bordered.

“Get out of the water,” a man hollered as he approached, the gravel crunching under his heavy steps. Two others tailed him.

When nothing better came to mind, she raised her hands and complied. When she reached him, he took her by the forearm and lead her away. The radio attached to his vest was alive with chatter.

“ _Godzilla has stopped moving. He’s two klicks out from our present position,_ ” it announced.

“ _Chopper 495, can you confirm?”_ another voice asked.

_“We have visual, target is stopped, no visual movement.”_

_“Whyley, you have the protester?”_

This time, the man tilted the radio up and spoke into it.

“Yes, I have her, sir. Escorting the civilian off the beach. Evacuation transport has already been arranged.”

Protester? Is that what they thought she was doing? It made sense, only titan protesters would be dumb enough to do what she just did. She didn’t even have an excuse. Still she kept her mouth shut. These men were intimidating.

The man known to her only as Whyley, lead her to a bench on the other side of the trees. Her borrowed bike was still there, only meters away.

“A transport vehicle will arrive shortly to take you out of the city,” Whyely said as she sat down. “No matter what some of us believe, titans are very dangerous and will kill you if you come too close. We have to respect them from a distance, understand?”

Amara nodded, her voice stuck in her throat. Satisfied, he turned and left.

He was a titan sympathiser? And yet, he was part of the force ready to eliminate them if they so much as look at them wrong. Maybe he joined before titans became a threat. Maybe he hated his job, or maybe he loved it until forced to make drastic measures. It was one of the few careers that would even let you see the creatures. Had he seen Godzilla as close as she had?

Unlikely.

Why the titan didn’t just open his mouth and swallow them whole was a mystery. It must of had something to do with Dr. Park’s presence since his hatred seemed to be directed solely on her while he ignored the other woman. 

At least now she had no choice. She was going to leave the island, maybe go stay with her parents or travel around. But she left everything at her apartment, even her phone.

Her gaze slid back over to the bike. She could go home instead, pack some stuff and then take her own car. Save the military’s time and recourses that could be used for people that didn’t have their own way off the island. Yes, that was a better idea.

With that, she hopped back onto the stolen bike and rode back home. At least her headache wasn’t acting up again.

Once she got back home, she immediately found her cellphone. The screen was filled with missed calls, unread texts, and various alerts. Not having the energy to call and talk to her panicked family members, she texted them instead. Not to cause them any unnecessary worry, she stated she was already off the island.

The last text was from Dr. Park.

“I see Godzilla followed you, I’m jealous! Joking aside, I hope you are well. Did you make it off the island?”

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the woman showed up the next day to research the beast.

Amara replied. “I’m well, still in the city though. My guess is that he changed his mind about eating me.”

A moment later, a reply. “The scientific community has been blowing up about his strange behaviour. I can’t keep up!”

Dr. Park’s enthusiasm still shined even at this hour. The woman had officially become Godzilla’s number one fan.

“You’re apart of the Godzilla scientific community now? What a surprise!”

“Of course! And I’ve leaned some interesting things!”

“Like?”

“Did you know that Godzilla rarely comes within two hundred miles off populated coasts and never stays in one place?”

They had been only sixty miles out from the California coastline. And now he was only two kilometers from the island. Did she just become worlds unluckiest person?

“Well we must be special then.”

She put her duffle bag on her bed and sat down beside it. Packing was such a hassle. The clock on her phone read one. Couldn’t she just pack in the morning and leave then? The ferries probably weren’t running this late anyway. This way she could sleep in her own bed instead of a chair somewhere, surrounded by other stragglers.

She laid back. Maybe her headache would finally go away by then. Her phone vibrated as she was about to drift off.

“We just might be.” It read. 


	4. The Mountain

Three days. Three days and still neither of them moved. Why, was a mystery. Any rational person in her position would have left days ago. Yet here she was, running out of food in an abandoned city being stalked by none other than the king of the monsters himself.

Well, the city was far from abandoned, actually. More and more soldiers came each day. Helicopters, jets, and other strange aircraft flew above the skyline nearly every hour of the day. The constant noise only adding to her relentless headache.

It was a relatively boring existence, being cooped up in her small apartment for so long. There were only so many titan documentaries, new casts, and re-runs she could watch before becoming utterly bored. She even pulled out her old flute and played a few songs.

"So how long are you planning on waiting?" Dr. Park's voice questioned.

Amara rummaged around her cupboards, her phone resting on the counter. "Probably until I run out of food."

There was a giggle over the speaker. "And how much longer will that be?"

"There's enough tomato soup and ramen to last me at least a week."

"You'll probably die of malnutrition before then."

Amara let out a huff. "Well, if he could just leave, I could go on with my life. I don't know why they're even bothering to bate him with nukes, he's clearly not falling for it."

It was the most recent plan from the Monarch scientists to lead Godzilla away from the island. The beast, however, must have still been full from his last bomb.

"Or he wants something from the island."

Amara opened a package of ramen noodles and dumped them into a small pot of boiling water.

"Still no sign of any other titans, at least," she said, pushing down on the firm noodles with a fork.

"That's not what I was talking about."

Amara stopped mid stir. She placed the fork on the counter and turned to face the phone.

"For the last time, I'm not doing it."

"Come on, Amara. You won't know until you try."

Try to what, get herself killed? That sounded appealing. The titan could easily come out of the water and kill her once and for all.

"But, what if…"

"I don't believe for one second he wants to eat you. You're a little small and not very radioactive, no offence." Dr. Park's voice was terse.

"I don't know, I still think it's all just a coincidence."

If he didn't want her dead, then what else could there be? There wasn't much to her, just a person who wanted to be successful like everyone else. Nothing much to stand out to a four-hundred foot monster.

"No you don't, and I don't think so either. He was far too interested in you, I saw it myself."

She leaned her elbows on a clean spot of the counter beside the phone. "And just how do you think he could find me? I _flew_ here on a _plane_."

"It's common knowledge that Godzilla and the other titans have extra ordinary senses, we just don't know exactly how they work yet."

"Maybe he has _magic powers._ "

"Amara, we're scientists here." Dr. Park's tone was flat. "It would explain how he reacts more when you're in the water."

Water, oh yes, her noodles. She turned back to the stove.

"If you don't think he wants to eat me, then what would he want then? There's nothing to gain by following me around other than unwanted military attention." She tore open the favored powder and dumped it in while she stirred. It was done. She twirled her fork in the water, pulling out a mass of noodles.

"Maybe he wants a friend."

The noodles on her fork fell back into the water.

"Yes, that really out does my magical powers theory."

"But mine has evidence. We've seen him and Titanus Mosura work together and now we've seen him communicating with whales."

"That's the last thing I need, a giant monster following me around. It would ruin everything."

"You mean your big life plan of getting rich and living in a fancy house?"

"Yes, that!"

Nice house, lots of windows, ocean view—well maybe not anymore. Maybe a nice lake, she could always move to the Okanogan with her mother if the coast became too treacherous.

There was a sigh. "You know—"

"Money doesn't buy happiness, I know, I know." Amara said. "But not everyone gets their dream job, and you do make decent money."

"Which I put back into my research." Dr. Park pointed out. "Anyway, enough about money. Do you have your bag packed?"

There was a beat of silence as Amara crossed her arms. "Yes."

A giggle. "And her I thought I'd have to spend all day convincing you."

"I don't know, I guess I am a bit curious too."

…

After eating her small pot of ramen, Amara finished packing everything she needed for her day trip. Perhaps she wouldn't even make it there, the military could be anywhere and send her off the island in a heart beat.

Her car was old, but reliable. The weather was mild, so it was unlikely it would overheat during the two-hour drive to the west side of the island.

Godzilla had, until now, stayed at the island's southernmost point. Content to keep to the very small area between Victoria and Port Angeles, the American city on the other side of the strait.

If she were to go to a hundred kilometres north, and he were to follow, it would be hard to deny he wanted something from her specifically. But there was no way, no way at all that any of this was true. It had to be a huge coincidence no matter what Dr. Park tried to tell her. If this is what it took to prove that she was right, and the doctor was wrong, then she would do it.

And if for some reason Godzilla actually did show up…

No, he wouldn't. No point trying to even imagine that scenario. All that ever came to mind was him eating her. Whales ate krill, what was the difference?

The drive was quiet. Gentle music played softly through the speakers. The narrow two-lane road was partially cast in shadow by the tall trees that surrounded it. The old civic had no air conditioning, so she rolled down the window, letting the wind flow through her hair.

She didn't pass a single vehicle the entire trip. This road had always been less travelled but seeing no one was almost eerie, like it was the end of the world. There was only one small tiny community by the beach she was headed to, and as far as she knew, it had also been evacuated.

She pulled into the beach's gravel parking lot. Upon entering, there was one other vehicle parked in the corner along the mossy trees; an olive drab jeep. Clearly military. She would have to be carful.

She parked on the opposite side of the parking lot, taking her time looking around before getting out. Would they be here for a while? Where they on constant patrol? Could she out run them? Probably. Unless they shot at her. But why would they do that?

The most they would do was arrest her, but for what? Since the city was evacuated she leaned that it wasn't illegal to stay, just really, really stupid.

She would run if it came down to it. Wearing all their gear, they had nothing on her.

She got out and closed the door quietly behind her. She put the keys in her backpack and slung it on her back. It was a bit of a walk to the shore.

The overhanding foliage of the trees blocked out the sun high above. Wind rustled the leaves, but her eyes never left the path ahead. There were more important things to worry about than taking in the sights. A soldier could appear at any time.

Light at the end of the path signaled her arrival to the beach. Instead of sand, the shore was made of slabs of dark rock alive with algae and tide pools filled with crustaceans. Fine white mist covered the horizon, obscuring the point where the ocean ended, and the sky began.

In other words, a typical beach on Vancouver Island.

Before she stepped fully out of the trees, she observed her surroundings. No soldiers, thankfully.

She took a careful step. The rocks were wet and slimy in places. It would be too easy to break an ankle here. Of course, she wore her best pair of runners in preparation.

Movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her in her tracks. A soldier, shit.

She stayed still, looking at the man out of the corner of her eye. Between the camo he wore and the mist, she wouldn't have seen him if he were still.

He stopped, looking in her direction. She stayed perfectly still, not even daring to breathe. Could he see her?

Finally, the man turned around and walked the other way. She let out her breathe but remained still until he was fully out of sight.

Was he patrolling just this part of the beach, or the entire area? How long before he came back? Time was not on her side. Moving faster now, completely trusting of her footwork, she went out towards the furthest part of the beach.

This was it. The moment of truth. She looked around the beach. No soldiers. Good. She took her backpack off and pulled out a small radio, tuning it into the most local news station she could find. It cost a small fortune, but hopefully she could sell it after this little experiment.

As per usual, the news man talked with others about Godzilla's recent actions, what the government was going to do, and the militaries thoughts on the matter. She turned the volume down as quiet as she could.

She placed it on the ground and took off her shoes and socks. It was already chilly with just the mist in the air, so the water was going to be freezing. Maybe sweatpants would have been a good idea to bring for once she got out of the water. Just wearing shorts and a sweater seemed kind of dumb now.

With nothing left to lose, she stepped into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the radio in her hands. She slipped a few times on the uneven surface below. The current was strong, pushing her back before she was even knee deep.

She kept going, deeper into the navy water. The man on the radio still talking idly about the latest titan theories. When the water lapped at her shorts she stopped.

Still no change.

Yes! It was a coincidence. Dr. Park was wrong, and she was right. She wasn't the unluckiest person on the planet, just a normal girl who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Her life wasn't about to change forever. Godzilla had nothing—

The second her thoughts turned to the titan, pain burst behind her eyes. The same feeling of something yanking on her mind nearly pulled her forward. It was more like rope than thread this time. Sounds muffled in her ears. Did she go under?

No, she was still standing.

She hit her ear with the palm of her hand, nothing better coming to mind. If she couldn't hear the radio, there was no way to know if he was coming.

But he was coming.

No, there was no way she could know that. The radio would tell her, if only she could hear it through the sound of water. Even with her eyes closed, fish flashed before them.

He was swimming fast, but how could she know that?

She was underwater. No, she wasn't. Her eyes wouldn't open, or were they? Blue, everything was blue. She was breathing, but not breathing. She needed air.

She opened her mouth to gasp for air. Sound returned, gulls above. She was still standing there, the radio in her hand.

"—he seems to be heading to the west part of the island. The military is trying to keep up, but Godzilla is moving at speeds faster than previously—"

The radio fell into the water. Amara, unmoving.

He—he was actually coming. Oh no. What did she do now? Leave, of course.

The thread pulled. She brought a cool hand to her head to sooth it. With the pain came an overwhelming urge to just…stay.

It was stupidest thought to cross her mind that day, and that was saying something considering all the dumb decisions that lead up to this point in the first place. This was the last time she listened to Dr. Park's advice. That woman was determined to get her killed.

Still, she stayed in the water. How long would it take Godzilla to get here? What would he do? Just wait in the water for her to come out? There was no way she was going any further than she already was. It's not like he would come to her. The beast only came out of the water when absolutely necessary. Unless…he really, really wanted to eat her.

Her feet were more like blocks of ice, anchoring her to the spot. How long had she been standing here now? Minutes? Hours? Why couldn't she leave?

Her body was pushed to the side. The current shifted and became stronger. It was him. He was almost here. Could he reach out and grab her by the ankle and drag her under? Surely, she would drown before he could swallow her whole or at least pass out before seeing his teeth.

The water pushed harder against her legs. She took a step back. Maybe the tide was just coming in early.

A familiar noise, like a whale, but she knew better. He was here. Somewhere. She could practically feel it.

All was peaceful at first glance, but the gulls had flown away, and the only noise was the constant roar of the ocean.

A wave of pain shot through her skull. Now what? He was just going to stay wherever he was? What did he want? Couldn't she just go back to her solitary life, alone and in the dark?"

"Well?" She shouted out to the water. "If you want to eat me, you have to get me first!"

Water off the coast rose like a massive bubble. A deep rumble echoed through the water and into her body. Irregularly shaped dorsal plates cut through the rising water as it grew and grew.

Amara backed up, stumbling and tripping on the rocks. Her eyes never leaving the monster rising out of the ocean.

A wave hit her, threatening to knock her back. She gabbed hold of a rock jutting out of the water, attaching herself to it.

The beast stood almost a kilometer out. Water pouring off his dark scales. He was tall, taller than anything she could have imagined. He wasn't an animal. He was a mountain. Even half submerged in the water, he was the most monstrous thing on the planet.

At first, he slowly turned his head, taking in the beach. Then, he looked down. At her. His eyes narrowed, and nostrils flared.

Something hit her like a truck. She fell back into the water ready to heave out any remaining food. Did someone just smash a rock against her forehead?

She had to stop resisting.

Stop resisting what? What were all these intrusive thoughts and emotions? What was this headache?

She looked up at the beast. His eyes shut, and head bowed, almost like he was in pain too. She wasn't the only one suffering. He shook it off, his narrowed gaze back on her. He began to move.

Each step caused an earthquake. A crocodilian like growl escaped his throat. He was closing in on his prey. Would he glow blue soon? Would he roar, or use his radioactive breath?

No.

More pain.

Godzilla stopped. He reached up towards his head much like she did. Again, he shook it off and continued slowly towards her. With each step, he grew larger. If her legs weren't numb, she would have been long out of the water and back in her car.

Everything about him was unbelievable. His legs were the size of buildings, his body could cause tsunamis. His head was small compared to his neck and shoulders, but it only made his appearance more menacing. So, this was why they were called titans, why they were called gods.

And among the titans, Godzilla was the king.

He came to a stop when only his feet were submerged. He was still a ways out, but she had to crane her neck to see his face scowling down at her.

Another feeling of something slamming into her head sent her heaving over the water. Godzilla let out a deep roar and took a step back.

What was wrong with him? Why did he resist? It only made it more difficult, made it hurt.

These thoughts were making less and less sense.

Godzilla's posture straightened. He turned his attention away from her and onto the beach.

No longer paralyzed by the beast's piercing gaze, she stumbled out of the water and onto the rocky shore.

Helicopters flew in from above the trees, some dark green and some decaled with news outlet names. Men came swarming out of the narrow path while others dropped from ropes.

From behind her, Godzilla let out a roar. She put her hands over her ears and turned to face the massive creature. His eyes and dorsal plates lit up with his spectacular bioluminescence. Even the back of his throat glowed blue as he roared.

Couldn't the military realize that he wanted to be left alone? Anger radiated off him in waves, much like the atomic energy he could release at any moment.

But Godzilla was also at fault. He had the entire ocean to himself, and he chose to come on land. Surely, he knew that human loyalty was fickle and easily broken? He would know he was as intelligent as Dr. Park claimed he was.

But here he was, roaring at the military like the territorial creature he was.

A pair of arms grabbed hers and pinned them behind her back. She let out a shriek and tried to look back her assailant. A man. He looked familiar.

"You need to leave right now," he said. His voice was familiar too. The titan sympathiser from the other beach?

He was right, though. Who knows what Godzilla was capable of. Maybe he could escort her right back to her car.

"No," she said instead. "You guys are the ones that need to leave!"

"Look, I know you're upset—"

"Let go of me!" Her shout was accompanied by Godzilla's roar. They both snapped their heads up to the beast who looked down at them, eyes deadly.

More and more men lined the beach pointing massive guns at the titan. Godzilla, however, refused to back down.

While the man was distracted, Amara took her opportunity. She twisted her arms up, loosening his hold, dropped her body and flung him over her shoulders onto the rocks. He groaned, rolling off his back to get up.

Instead of running, Amara dumbly stood watching him. Around them, soldiers focused on their target.

Godzilla puffed his chest out, his dorsal plates pulsing bright blue as if he was daring the men to attack him. Why was he testing them? He needed to leave before things escalated.

As if she spoke out loud, the beast's eyes shifted towards her. The same invisible force rammed into her skull. Her knees buckled.

The soldiers were the ones that had to leave, not Godzilla. This was his territory despite what man thought. If they didn't back down, he would accept their challenge. And win.

Amara shook the thoughts out of her head. Where were they coming from? She didn't know these things, nor did she believe them. Did she?

Despite her inner turmoil, her confidence was at an all time high. She got back up and faced the familiar man, Whyley. "You're the ones that need to leave."

He marched towards her. He was tall, but not big. His legs were a definite weakness, his height made him top heavy and easy to trip. If he tried to grab her again, he was done.

He closed the distance but made no move to touch her. Good, he was smart. Sandy blond hair peaked out from under his helmet, but his most obvious feature were his eyes. One blue and one brown. Heterochromia.

"You can speak to him, can't you?"

"What, no—"

"Don't lie, I saw everything. You walk into the water and Godzilla immediately comes to your location? Maybe a coincidence if the same thing didn't happen the last time I hauled you off the beach."

"I can't speak to him, he's a giant lizard."

"We don't have time for this. You need to tell him to leave before shit hits the fan and a lot of people start dying."

"You tell him to leave, or better yet, tell your guys to leave," Amara hissed.

Godzilla roared and took a step closer to the beach.

Whyley's eyes darted to the beast and back to her. "Honestly, I think there's a better chance of you succeeding."

"How, just start waving my arms and screaming at him? He can't hear me."

Whyley took a step closer. "What are you talking about, he just travelled a hundred kilometers when you so much as made yourself known."

Just who was this guy, and why did he think she had magic psychic powers? Still, the situation was escalating quickly, all it took was one move from Godzilla or one gunshot from the military to start another war. On top of that, Godzilla had a lot more energy than the last time they attacked him in 2014.

Could Godzilla call the titans as Gidorah did? Command them to destroy humanity until they surrendered?

That couldn't happen. It would be disastrous for everything and everyone involved. Godzilla needed to leave before they were all killed. Godzilla would have a target on his back and the entire military wouldn't stop until he was dead.

Seeing him like this, standing tall, awaiting the enemy to attack first, he wasn't much different than her. Maybe he was smarter than she gave him credit for. Maybe he didn't deserve to die.

"Just do what you did to call him here."

All she did was think about him. The second she thought his name, he swam straight to her. But that was impossible. Dr. Park was probably right, he could sense her fear for miles in the water. At least that theory was plausible.

The ground shook as Godzilla took another step. His pulses became audible, like someone beating a base drum, the vibrations rattled though her body.

"If he takes one more step, open fire," A man shouted over Godzilla's growls and the lapping waves. "Aim at his legs, we are trying to deter him, not get ourselves killed, am I clear?"

"Yes sir," the wall of men yelled in unison. The air filled with the sound of guns cocking.

"If he goes on the offensive, you know what to do."

It was hard to tell who was more tightly wound, Godzilla, or the soldiers. Either way, she didn't want to find out.

She looked up at the titan. Godzilla had to leave. Now. He had to prove the millions of years of instinct that kept him alive weren't for nothing. If he were to turn around and leave, he truly would be the bigger man.

All at once, Godzilla's blue pulses stopped, and he relaxed his stance. He swept his gaze across the beach, glaring down at each and every man like a hawk would its prey. His head stilled when his eyes landed on her. His amber orbs narrowed further, and a snort escaped his nostrils.

Slowly he tuned his head back out to sea, his massive body following.

Yes, he was leaving. Her breath came out in a shudder. They weren't all going to die.

There was only one thing left to do. She grabbed her bag and made a run for it off the beach while the men were still preoccupied with the titan.

A hand grasped her wrist. She reacted instantly, ready to throw Whyley to the ground.

"I swear if you do that, I'm going to get half the men here after you."

Amara dropped her hand. "I haven't done anything wrong. I just want to leave."

"No, I'm taking you in for questioning."

Crap. Getting escorted off the island was one thing, being questioned was another. What would they ask? Would Whyley tell them what he saw? They wouldn't believe him about her communicating with the titan, but there was still the fact that Godzilla was chasing her down for whatever reason.

Would she also be considered a threat? Would they arrest her for conspiring against humanity? How was she supposed to be successful now? No one would ever hire her if she had a criminal record, she would be done for. Everything she'd ever worked for, gone.

Godzilla stopped in his tracks. Men raised their guns.

Pain tore through her head, a feeling overwhelmed her. He was going to roar, and it was going to be loud.

She brought her palms up to her ears, causing Whyley to flinch and turn his attention to her. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off.

A roar, louder than any other he had released before, blasted across the watery expanse. Men dropped their guns and helicopters swerved in the air as they struggled to cover their ears. The water ripped unnaturally, and pebbles vibrated against each other.

Now freed from Whyley's grip, she ran keeping her ears covered. Godzilla closed his mouth with an audible snap. Amara threw a look behind her shoulder. Whyley was calling others nearby to catch her. At least a dozen men joining him to chase her down.

Behind them, Godzilla's head was turned towards her and then to the men not far behind. Back ahead, the trees were fast approaching. She was almost off the rocks, then she could sprint the rest of the way.

She glanced back once more. How far were they? Instead of them, her eyes focused on Godzilla pivoting away and a massive tail coming out of the water. He swept it across the surface of the water, creating a wall of water that rushed towards the beach.

The men behind were flailing in sea water a moment later. She made it to the trees just before she too was hit by the wave.

She sprinted back to her car, jumping over any debris on the path. Her hands fumbled with the keys as she sat down and started it. It was time to go home and never look back. She put the car into gear and drove onto the paved road, one thing on her mind.

Godzilla sure did have perfect timing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Godzilla used roar!
> 
> *Amara fled!
> 
> *Godzilla used splash!
> 
> *It's super effective!


	5. For Dr. Park

Godzilla had vanished once again. Gone. Hidden by the vastness of the ocean like a tadpole in a pond. The evacuation ended the day following Godzilla’s abrupt disappearance, but people were told to use they’re discretion before returning.

Slowly life resumed on the island. Businesses re-opened, people filled the streets, buses resumed their routes. Many refused to come back and rightfully so, Godzilla could still be there, somewhere, anywhere. Houses went up for sale all over the island, beach front especially so. Million dollar properties asking less than half their price.

Since the west beach…incident, Amara stayed in her apartment. Whyley and the others could be searching for her, even this very moment. For all she knew, she could be in serious trouble.

Dr. Park proved to be an excellent distraction from the constant fear of being arrested for whatever she might have done wrong, though the talking tended to agitate her constant but dull headache. It took two days for the woman to finally stop saying “I told you so” and focus more on the _why_ of his appearance _._

Today’s phone call was completely different.

Amara rubbed her eyes, sitting up at Dr. Parks alarmed voice through the phone. “Huh?”

“You’re not even awake yet? Turn on the news!”

It wasn’t even eight in the morning, what more did Dr. Park want?

“Why, what’s going on now?” She patted around on her bed for the remote. Dr. Park was clearly upset, so this must have something to do with her favorite titan.

“Amara,” there was a pause as she took a breath, “they’re going to kill him.”

She froze. Did she mean Godzilla? Who was going to kill him?

Dr. Park continued, her voice getting more agitated with each word. “Who does the UN think they are? This isn’t peacekeeping, this is extermination. Godzilla isn’t a pest, he’s an integral part of our ecosystems. The ignorance!”

So they finally did it. They were ending the creature for good. The king of the monsters, doomed to die by human’s hand.

It was only a matter of time before it happened. Since his appearance he was on thin ice, saved by his indifference towards humans and their favor towards him. But his time had finally come.

It was easy to cheer for a monster who came up to fight other monsters then disappear without a trace. But the second he came up without warning, without reason, everyone panicked. The rumor that Godzilla would turn on man perpetuated with each passing day, and now the metaphorical doomsday clock was set. Not on humanity, but on him.

“Oh.” Was all that escaped her mouth.

“That’s all you have to say?”

Amara nearly flinched at Dr.Park’s aghast voice. She tried again. “I mean…that’s too bad, I guess.”

“Amara, what are you talking about? We have to do something!”

Amara held the phone away from her ear.

Do what exactly? Dr. Park was at least a well known biologist. Amara, however, was a nobody. What could the two of them hope to accomplish that Monarch couldn’t?

Amara brushed the hair out of her face. “The world’s turning on him, I don’t think there’s much we can do even if we wanted.”

“If we wanted? Amara, don’t you care about what happens to him?”

Amara’s gaze settled on the black tv screen. It wasn’t even on and it infuriated her. “It’s not my fault he’s following me around. Not to mention he’d be a lot calmer too if the military would leave him alone.”

Dr. Parks voice quieted. “You’ve never mentioned that to me before.”

“I thought it was obvious, I don’t know. He was just walking towards me until the military showed up, then he went into defensive mode trying to get them to leave.”

“But _how_ do you know that?”

Amara blinked. “Know what?”

“That he’s irritated at the military for following him?”

Who wouldn’t be? Hell, she got mad when they swarmed the beach.

“The second they showed up, he got angry.”

Dr. Parks voice became impatient. “How could you tell though? Body language?”

The image of the massive titan appeared before her eyes. Towering into the sky. Dorsal plates with threads of iridescent blue carved in intricate patterns.

Every step caused a wave that threatened to knock her off her feet. A roar that rung in her ears the entire next day. 

“He straightened his posture like he was ready to fight, then I could practically feel the anger pouring off of him, and then—”

“You could feel his anger?”

“No, nothing like that! It was just really obvious.”

“Could you tell he was angry before he became outwardly aggressive?”

It was obvious what Dr. Park was trying to get at. She was trying to prove Amara’s so called connection with the monster. But Dr.Park hadn’t been there in person and experienced it first hand. Even if Amara felt it before it became apparent, anyone would have in the situation. It was too strong to ignore, like when she came home from elementary school and knew that her father was angry.

“No, it was about the same time,” Amara lied.

Dr. Park let out a huff. It was difficult to decipher if it was in disbelief or disappointment without seeing the doctor’s facial expression. “If you say so.”

Amara sat in silence when no words came to mind. What was she supposed to say? How was any of this her problem?

“So you’re just going to stand back and watch him die?”

“What else can I do? I still have another year before I even have a bachelor’s degree. I’m no scientist.”

“But you have a unique ability that can help. No one can research Godzilla because no one can get close enough to do it. But then out of nowhere he decides to start following you wherever you go, even coming out of the water to come closer.”

Amara rolled her eyes despite Dr. Park no being able to see. “I know, who wouldn’t want a monster the size of a mountain following them around?”

“Don’t you see the implications? Any discoveries we make about Godzilla would be revolutionary. In the blink of an eye you would be famous for your research. You could easily pay off your student loans and afford any other schooling you could imagine.”

That was…a really good point. But what about the government arresting them? If they published anything, they would be done for. It would be proof they broke the law. The only way anyone could get near Godzilla was if he came to them. Something she couldn’t and didn’t want to prove.

“But it’s illegal, remember? And we can’t pin it on the whales this time.”

“I’ve thought about that. I have some old friends at Monarch that I plan on getting in touch with. If we go directly to Monarch and present _some_ of our findings we might be able to convince them to hire us. Then through Monarch, we publish our research.”

Sometimes it was easy to forget how intelligent the cheerful biologist was… Or maybe cunning was a better word for it. Still, it was risky. Godzilla could swat them like a fly the moment he got annoyed with whatever research Dr. Park planned to do. Then, if that didn’t happen, there was getting arrested. And finally, there was the chance that Monarch would just take their finings and publish them as their own. Not like her or Dr. Park could do anything about it without the aforementioned jail time.

There were a lot of variables that could go wrong trying to save the monster. Was Godzilla worth the sacrifice of her own well being? Her future?

“Can I think about this for a bit and call you back?”

Dr. Park didn’t bother to hide the elation in her voice. “Yes, of course! Have some tea and think about it. Call me later this afternoon?”

Ugh. That wasn’t enough time. “Sure.”

“Perfect! Thanks Amara. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

With a guilty goodbye, Amara hung up the phone. She lay back on her bed ready to sleep until Dr. Park gave up.

Why couldn’t Godzilla just go back into the ocean and disappear for a few more years? It was somehow now her responsibility to help this creature, when she wanted nothing to do with it. He was ruining everything, even her job at the coffee shop down the street that had yet to re-open. Would the University even open in fall? Would she have to relocate to a different school? Live with her mother?

And that wasn’t even including her doing anything. Dr. Park wanted to use her to call Godzilla over so she could research whatever it was she wanted to and use it to convince humanity that he wasn’t a threat. Didn’t Dr. Park realize that he was? Even unintentionally, Godzilla was a walking natural disaster. He caused floods and earthquakes. He evacuated cities without even coming to the surface. Became a living bomb.

Amara turned on the TV. The news blared to life. Images of Godzilla at the beach still played. Her eyes drawn to the tiny human running away as Godzilla caused a tidal wave. Thankfully, the image of her was too small to make out to anyone who didn’t know where to look.

Interviews of various people confirmed what Dr. Park had called about. They actually were going to kill him.

And not only him. The UN were developing protocols for killing all of the titans if they stepped out of line. Not even the beloved Loch Ness Monster was safe. Godzilla was just on the top of their list because of his “erratic” behaviour. Please, he was just being an animal. They made it sound like if Godzilla wasn’t sleeping at the bottom of the ocean then he was attacking humanity. Everyone was making such a big deal out of such simple behaviour. They weren’t even the ones being followed!

Maybe if she went out to the water and thought hard enough, she could get him to go away.

Yeah, no, that sounded dumb.

She huffed and threw the covers off. Forget tea, she needed coffee. After brewing a fresh cup, she poured some fresh coffee and mixed in cream and sugar until it turned a pleasant almond colour. She put the spoon in the sink with the other dirty dishes and returned to her messy bed and took a sip.

To think a monster like Godzilla could somehow understand her. Dr. Park theorized there was something about her that drew his curiosity. Too bad for him there was nothing special about her.

Then there was that guy, Whyley. He came out of nowhere and openly announced that she could speak to Godzilla. What even gave him that idea? He claimed he’d seen everything so he must have been the man who was already at the beach. Thinking back, she had been pretty dumb, forgetting about him as soon as she got to the water. Godzilla _was_ a reasonable excuse, though.

What would have happened if she hadn’t gone there in the first place? Would Godzilla still be lingering off the coast? Maybe if he stayed there, the government wouldn’t have decided to kill him so quickly.

But if that was true, and Godzilla actually was following her, then was it… her fault? Was she to blame for the titan’s demise? A creature’s life wasted because of its curiosity. If Godzilla were any other animal, they would have tranquilized him and relocated him to a remote location. But he wasn’t any other animal and that wasn’t an option.

Whatever the curiosity he had towards her, she took advantage of it. Used it to satisfy her own curiosity without thinking of the ramifications.

No, that was a lie. She did consider, but not enough, evidently. It should have been obvious from the get-go. Any movement the monster made would trigger a reaction.

But she had been so sure that he wouldn’t come. Or had she?

It was all too confusing.

Dr. Park wanted to use Godzilla’s curiosity to her advantage. Turn the unfortunate event of being followed into an opportunity to save him. She was quick to point out the bright side of studying Godzilla, fame, money, a stable future career. But being a paleobiologist or even a ‘titanologist’ wasn’t exactly what she was going for.

Seeing Dr. Parks way of life was interesting, her boat was her office. But it wasn’t for Amara. All she wanted was to work in a lab or office in the big city with an expensive condo to come home to. Drive around in a nice Audi or Lexus, drink all the expensive lattes in the world. Travel.

Well, that was still pretty unachievable with a science based career, unless she made a break through…

…Like studying Godzilla.

She let out a long sigh. Researching Godzilla didn’t have to be a long term thing. Dr. Park and her could discover one thing about him and that could be all that was needed. It would have to be something big though, like learning how he worked, or was even able to exist without collapsing into himself.

Finishing her coffee, she got back up. Dragging her feet, she put the coffee cup beside the sink and went out to her patio.

It was shaping up to be a nice day. The sun shone between buildings. The Pacific breeze was soft, cooling the humid air. She leaned her body heavily against the metal railing, her eyes wondering across the streets below.

Was it even safe to leave her apartment? Had she hidden long enough? No one had come yet and seeing as she wasn’t an expert by any means, she should have been easy to track. And even if they went from what Whyley saw, Godzilla did come to her, there was no question. From their perspective, she was just someone at the beach at the wrong place at the wrong time.

But if she did leave to help Godzilla, who says they wouldn’t cross paths again? Twice was already pushing it, three times would prove to them it wasn’t a coincidence.

No.

It wasn’t worth it. Everything she’d worked so hard for would be gone the instant they were caught. Both her and Dr. Park would be ruined. Forever.

Could the military even kill Godzilla? They tried and failed already. Plus, they had the public to deal with. Even with Godzilla supporters on the decline, there were still millions on his side. They wouldn’t let him down.

Back in her tiny apartment she plopped back down into her bed, rummaging for her phone. It was only ten and she already had to call Dr. Park back with the bad news.

Her finger hovered over the call button. It wasn’t going to be easy, but her mind was made.

Would this be the end of their strange relationship? Knowing Dr. Park, she would go on to study Godzilla by herself using whatever means she could. The woman was amazing that way. At most, Amara would only be saving her the step of finding the titan.

She held her breath and pressed the button. The phone rang once.

“Amara! So soon!” Dr. Park exclaimed.

Amara swallowed. Guilt flooded through her being. Dr. Park was going to be so disappointed. “Er, yeah. I made my decision.”

When did talking become so hard?

“And?” Dr. Park asked before cutting herself off. “Oh, and I think the island off the coast we were near would be the perfect place to study Godzilla! I’d pay for your flight, of course. I know student loans and a part time job doesn’t leave much for spending money.” She took a breath. “Sorry, you were saying?”

Amara flopped down onto her bed, eyes on the ceiling light above. “What time’s the flight?”

“There were none available tomorrow, so I booked it for Wednesday at nine AM. Work for you?”

“I can do that. Thanks, Dr. Park,” Amara said with a small smile at nothing in particular.

She would do it.

For Dr. Park.


	6. Justified

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter EVER!
> 
> Anyways, as per usual, thank you so much for the support! I tried my best to edit, but I'm really bad at it so sorry about any annoying mistakes I've missed!
> 
> Enjoy and QUEUE THE GODZILLA THEME SONG!

_Nothingness._

_No, not nothingness, just darkness._

_Black, maybe blue. Life all around, close and yet far. She was swimming._

_No, not her. She was him. No, that wasn't right. She was her, and he was him._

_He was swimming. Somewhere deep and dark, beyond the reaches of light. Life around him, obscured by endless night._

_Not alone, but isolated._

_The creatures spoke different languages, ones he could not, no matter how long he tried._

_Except the whales._

_Creatures that knew loss and loneliness, understood it as he did. They could not understand him but understood his efforts. Sometimes they followed, drifting with him through the currents. In return, he allowed excess energy from his body to seep into the tide like a blue mist. It it cured the sick and encouraged the young to grow strong._

_As his father did for him._

Amara snapped her eyes open. They automatically found the small oval window beside her head. Grass and tarmac filled her vision. The plane had landed.

Passengers around her stirred and shuffled around for their bags, the older woman beside her among them. Amara reached for hers as well.

What a strange dream. Ever since the diving 'incident', she had dreamt about swimming almost every night. Nothing out of the ordinary given the circumstances. Nothing ever happened in them, just peaceful swimming in beautiful blue water. Sometimes Godzilla was there. He was never scary though, it was the opposite actually, his presence was almost…comforting.

But this time, it wasn't her swimming. She was Godzilla. Her thoughts were his thoughts. It was something about communicating with other creatures, the whales in particular.

Still, It was something her subconscious could come up with based on what she saw that day. Dreams were peculiar things.

She followed the narrow line out of the plane, taking care not to bump into anyone. Once she exited the plane, she took her phone off airplane mode and waited to see if Dr. Park texted her about her arrival to the airport.

Sure enough, it vibrated in her hand. A simple text saying she was parked in the pick-up zone.

After a quick stop to the restroom, Amara exited the busy airport. She sent a text back to Dr. Park let her know she was outside. The pick-up area was a parking lane along a long road under the upper parking lot. Cars drove by, their exhaust noise echoing loudly throughout.

It didn't take long for Amara to spot the familiar form of Dr. Park waving her hand along the long line of parked vehicles. Amara dragged her suitcase behind her as she made a beeline for the woman.

"Took you long enough, I've been waiting for half an hour!" Dr. Park said in her usual cheerful tone.

Amara let out an amused huff. "Sorry, next time I'll tell the pilot to speed up."

"You'd better. The exhaust fumes are getting to me." Dr. Park waved a hand in front of her face with a smile. She put the key in the back of the off-road looking SUV and surprisingly, the rear window rolled down. Dr. Park took Amara's suitcase and placed it beside some equipment she had stored in the back.

"What even is this thing?" Amara asked, looking at the Toyota badge.

"Oh, this is my baby! She's a 1991 Hilux Surf. Do you like her?"

"That's the same year as my civic," Amara commented walking around to the passenger side. For some reason Dr. Park followed her.

Not paying too much mind, Amara opened the door. She paused, the steering wheel was on the wrong side.

Dr. Park let out a small giggle. "It's JDM, so it's a little backwards."

"Ah," Amara said with a dry laugh of her own.

She walked around and got in the other side of the Japanese vehicle while Dr. Park pushed the clutch in and started it. The interior was immaculate and obviously well taken care of. Other than the equipment in the back and Amara's bags, it was free from any clutter and garbage. The only person possession being a container of tinted lip balm placed in an open cubby of the center console.

So Dr. Park was a car enthusiast then. It was rather unexpected. During her three-week practicum, she took the taxi from her hotel to the marina everyday. The Toyota did look like a great vehicle to off-road along beaches with, so It did make sense.

As Dr. Park drove, she shifted through the gears like it second nature, the usual content look upon her face.

"Wow Dr. Park, I had no idea you were such a car girl."

"Nah, I just appreciate well made vehicles," Dr. Park said, flicking her eyes towards Amara. "And since we're not on business anymore, may as well just call me Mi Sun."

Call Dr. Park by her first name? Now that would take some getting used to. "Alright, but don't get mad when I forget."

"Oh Amara, when have I ever been mad at you?"

…

Sometime later, Dr. Park pulled into the underground parking lot of her condominium. The building was rather modest looking and most likely one of only a few affordable places just off the sand that Long Beach was famous for.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor of the six-story building. Dr. Park lead her to a door with her full name on a plaque beside it.

"Well, this is it." Dr. Park stepped aside so Amara could enter.

"Wow…It's so clean," Amara said and abruptly closed her mouth. Oops, that may have sounded offensive.

It was true though. Like her SUV, the small one-bedroom condo was spotless. It was beautifully decorated with artwork and photos on the walls. A massive window let in the bright afternoon sunlight. Outside of it, just past the sand, was the ocean.

She must have been making a face because Dr. Park smiled. "Like the view?"

How could Dr. Park afford this place? It must have been over a million dollars, if not two.

Dr. Park read her mind. "I bought this place in 2014 right after Godzilla and the MUTO's made their appearance. It was dirt cheap, I couldn't resist."

Amara slid off her shoes and walked over to get a better look out of the ceiling length windows. "Of course you did." She shook her head. "Same thing's happening now on the island. Places selling for half the price."

"And they'll go for even less thanks to everyone's irrational fear towards Godzilla." Dr. Park joined her at the window.

"I don't know, I think it's pretty rational."

Dr. Park gave her a sideways look then turned back towards the water. "Would you like some tea?"

Amara suppressed a grimace. Back on the boat, Dr. Park had a thermos that contained some funky smelling tea every morning.

"Um, no thanks," Amara said.

"I do have more than just Buckwheat tea you know. I have more plain ones." Dr. Park said while she went to the kitchen. "And I have milk and honey."

Now that sounded a lot more appealing. "Earl Grey?"

"Sure."

Amara sat down at the island while Dr. Park put a kettle on the stove and fished out the tea from a cupboard that was surprisingly filled with different tins of different flavors.

Amara rested her head in her hands. On the wall beside her was a picture of a family in traditional Korean dress. In front of the mother and father were three young children, a boy and two smaller girls.

"Which one are you?" Amara asked.

Dr. Park glanced up at the picture from what she was doing. "The girl on the left. I'm the middle child. That picture was taken a month before we moved to the US. The only thing I remember about that day was my brother, Jae Jin, kept pulling my hair to annoy me."

"I would have beat him up if I were you."

"I can imagine," Dr. Park said with a laugh. "Did you start training when you were young?"

"Yeah, Karate. Then I moved on to all sorts of other things like Muay Thai and Jujitsu."

Dr. Park smirked. "I only wish I could have seen you throw that soldier over your shoulder."

After pouring two cups of tea, Dr. Park at down next to Amara, placing the milk and honey in front of them as she did.

"So this island," Amara began, "Do you think its actually safe to bring Godzilla there? If he comes at all, I mean."

"I've boated around the islands for years now, so I know them pretty well. This one in particular is a national park with limited access and only to specific campsites and trails. There's an entire part f the island practically untouched that I think would be perfect."

Amara poured a fair amount of milk into her tea and gave a shrug. "I see. What's one more illegal thing, right?"

Dr. Park looked Amara straight in the eye. "I'll break any law I can get away with if it means saving Godzilla and the other titans. Half the laws around them are ridiculous anyway."

It was true, some of the things the government came up with was totally useless. But many made perfect sense too, especially to the land-based titans who were easily tracked and monitored at all times. Something impossible to do when it came to the hidden under the sea.

"Like you going near Godzilla versus Godzilla coming to you?" Amara asked while stirring her drink.

"Exactly. How can they prove that without being there themselves? He's a largely oceanic creature so anyone could stumble upon him like we did. They don't even have a full proof way of tracking him yet. Once he disappears, they have to start from scratch to find him again, so how are people supposed to know where to avoid?"

"And what if they find him while we're around?"

"I'm hoping he'll find it in his heart to provide a distraction again."

Amara made a show of rolling her eyes, then smiled. "He's not that smart, Doctor—I mean Mi Sun—It was just a coincidence."

"Yes, just like everything else that's happened so far, I know. Now, did you remember your hiking shoes?"

"I brought runners."

Mi Sun took a sip of her tea. "Oh girl, you've got a ways to go, don't you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!"

…

The following day Amara found herself back on Dr. Park's repurposed fishing vessel. She had been woken up far too early, like six AM early, and shoved into the wrong side of a backwards vehicle along with bags of supplies and equipment. What Mi Sun failed to mention until last night, was that this endeavour was going to be a camping trip.

Camping. Not even in a campground. No bathrooms, no showers, no nothing. Godzilla better not show up.

The boat hummed as it crossed the water at a moderate pace. To the south was the navy outline of another island partially vailed by sea mist, and behind them was the sun glowing orange, still low in the sky.

The air was fresh and smelled of seaweed. A smell only the ocean had. It whipped at Amara's hair as she sipped on her thermos of coffee. She had practically forced Mi Sun to stop at coffee shop under threat of never forgiving her for the surprise camping trip.

While Mi Sun drove the boat to their destination, Amara sat at the table flipping through Mi Sun's notes detailing what she planned on learning from this trip. It was a nice distraction from the pressure in her forehead.

Good thing they were going to hang out with Godzilla, the one who agitated her headache the most. He could be under them at the very moment, and when he realized it was her, would probably capsize the boat.

Amara looked up from the notebook to the back of Mi Sun's head. "You sure you don't want me to turn on the sonar?" She had to raise her voice to be heard over the water.

Mi Sun's tone was cheerful, even at this hour. "At this point I think you jumping in the water would be more effective."

Amara shook her head. "That's not happening."

That was the absolute last thing she was ever going to do. The previous trip closed the book on that one. Even going in waist deep off the shore wasn't an option anymore. Godzilla had ruined any possibility of getting comfortable with the ocean. The only appeal it had now was how it looked from Mi Sun's window, and who knew how long that would last with all these titans popping up.

"Amara, as my unofficial intern and potential ground-breaking researcher, I think you should at least put your hand in the water."

"I don't want to."

The hum of the motor slowed to a stop. The wind grew calm and the lapping water silenced. Mi Sun switched spots, so she was sitting across the table from Amara.

"You know why I chose your essay over the hundreds of other applicants for the practicum?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about it. I'm too embarrassed."

Mi Sun gave a soft smile. "After reading pages and pages of 'I love the ocean' and 'I want to be a marine biologist', I picked up yours—"

"La la la, not listening."

"Instead of coming up with all the changes you would make in the world and how you've dedicated your life to save the turtles, you merely expressed your sincere interest in learning about ocean life, and more than that, you mentioned your fear of water and how you thought this might help. Now, to some biologists that might sound unprofessional, but to me it meant not only are you academically intelligent, but emotionally intelligent." Her smile grew. "And those are the types of people who I believe can actually make a difference."

"What do you mean?"

"Even the smartest of people can be completely disconnected from reality. It takes a level of awareness to keep one grounded; mind, body, and soul. And you might not think it right now, but you have soul, Amara. You're afraid of what you don't know. But look at you. You're right here, confronting your fears. Again, no less!"

As kind as Mi Sun's words were, she was wrong. Amara wasn't here to conquer her fears, she was here to end any and all financial problems. Use Godzilla for her own gain, not his. It just happened to be a symbiotic relationship. Her and Mi Sun's success meant fame and fortune for them, and life for the titan. It was either a win-win or lose-lose situation.

Mi Sun was a much better person than her. Risking her neck to save a monster. Why she felt so moved to save him was beyond Amara. Then again, Mi Sun also though Amara was a better person than she actually was. The least she could do was put her hand in the water.

"Alright," Amara said, placing her half drank coffee down on the table. "I'll think about it."

Mi Sun beamed. "Take all the time you need."

They both got up. Mi Sun resumed her spot at the steering wheel while Amara went down the steps and to the lower railing.

The boat came to life. Amara sat down on the deck looking out onto the ocean. There was no going back now. Mi Sun thought so highly of her, so doing anything less than her best wasn't an option. Plus, the sooner Godzilla showed up, the sooner they could get it over with.

 _If_ Godzilla showed up.

It was just her hand anyway. Not like Godzilla would come out of nowhere and eat it, _right_?

She reached down until her hand was just above the foaming white water along the boat. Just her hand. That was all. Her fingertips skimmed the water. It splashed on her hand, freezing cold.

Well? Was the stupid monster here or not?

She snatched her hand from the water and onto her forehead as pain shot though it like a bullet.

_He was here. He'd been waiting for her._

What the hell? That though was definitely not her own.

"Amara, look!"

The pain subsided and Amara opened her eyes. A little ways away from the boat the uniform ripples of the ocean stretched and contorted from something moving below. Dark water began to lap over itself as something broke the surface. Small at first, then grew. Jagged edges splayed out from a singular base. More appeared, rising out of the water and into the sky, towering above the boat. Deep crevices etched into them like streams of water eroding stone. White foam rushed around the gigantic spikes until finally, a singular surface rose out, connecting them into a living island.

Godzilla.

Without a second glance, Amara shot up and ran to Mi Sun as if she were some sort of protection. Mi Sun's attention was on the back of the titan swimming beside them. The boat slowed to an idle.

"You put your hand in the water, didn't you?" She breathed

Amara nodded. Beside them, Godzilla had slowed as well, his dorsal plates easily dwarfing the boat. She wasn't going to mention the idea of Godzilla already being there, waiting for them. It sounded ridiculous, yet the thought entered her mind clear as day. And for some reason she believed it without a doubt.

Amara tore her eyes away from the creature. "We should probably keep going. I'm pretty sure he'll follow since he doesn't seem to have anything better to do."

Mi Sun looked between Amara and the beast before agreeing and steering the boat onwards. The serrated plates lowering back into the dark abyss.

"Maybe not," Amara said as an afterthought.

The tips of Godzilla's fins vanished into the water.

"Don't worry Amara, once we get to the island you just have to do it again to call him back. He hasn't failed you yet, and seeing as he's already here, I don't think he's about to start."

Amara gave Mi Sun a sideways look. "Oh good, I'd hate for that to happen."

…

It took another hour to reach the island. Mi Sun tied the boat to an overhanging tree, and they jumped across a couple rocks to get onto dry land. Already Amara's shoes were filled with water. Both her and Mi Sun had large backpacks and over the shoulder bags packed full of equipment.

Amara looked around the rocky bank lined with trees. "I don't see a path, are we in the right spot?"

Mi Sun joined her on the shore. "There are no paths here. We're bushwhacking to the top!"

"To the top?" Amara looked up to the cliff looming over them.

"I thought it'd be easier studying him from down here." Mi Sun made a show of pulling out a slim leather case from her bag. She gripped the handle that poked out of the side and pulled out a machete. "Ta Da!"

Amara stumbled over a rock as she took a step back. "Holy hell, watch where you swing that thing."

"Oh, please. Come on, let's get going." Mi Sun turned towards the thick brush that hung over the rocky shore.

"I don't get one?"

"Sure, here you go," Mi Sun said with a smile and handed Amara a flip knife. "Don't cut yourself."

Amara investigated the folded knife as she followed. She found the grove to life the blade out of the handle. Like she would—"Ow"

"Be careful," Mi Sun chimed from ahead.

The entire way up was a nightmare. Bugs flew in her face, branches whipped at her exposed arms, her feet were cold and wet. Her legs burned from the constant uphill battle through the dense brush. Mi Sun was always a few steps ahead, encouraging her on. The biologist was clearly at home in this environment, swinging her machete in fluent arcs, taking down only what was necessary.

With a finally swing, light filled the space ahead of Mi Sun. They had reached the end!

Past the tree line was a grassy area filled with wild flowers. Near the drop off, the grass broke apart on the craggy rocks. The sun was much higher now. The ocean fog had lifted, and only blue could be seen for miles.

Mi Sun was the first to venture out towards the edge. Amara cautiously followed, staying a few feet back. The rocks were probably safe, but that didn't mean she could slip and fall to her immediate death.

"Wow, what a beautiful view!"

"Yep." Amara replied, crossing her arms. "That's the ocean."

Mi Sun ignored her comment as she continued to look around at both the island and the ocean. She must have caught sight of something in the grass because one moment she was at the edge of the cliff and the next she was kneeling before a small patch of pale yellow.

"Wo! look Amara. Sea-cliff Beadstraw!"

Indulging the woman, Amara sauntered over to her and looked down at the plant made of tiny clusters of yellow flowers. It wasn't anything stand out and honestly looked more like a weed.

"It's nice?" she finally said.

Mi Sun looked up at her, eyes squinting at the sunlight. It looked as though she was about to say something but decided against it.

Amara changed the subject. "So where are we setting up? I'm hungry."

Mi Sun got up and led Amara towards the underbrush of the trees. "We'll set up here and then eat."

Mi Sun began a search for firewood while Amara was tasked with setting up the tent. She pulled out the flexible poles. Okay, first she had to put them together…maybe? Then shove them through the tent holes. So she should lay the tent out then.

She dropped the half-assembled rods on the ground and fumbled with getting the tent out of the bag. She laid it out nicely on a flat area.

Now which was the window, and which was the entrance?

She rotated it and started to shove the rods into the holes…and then took them back out again when they didn't fit properly.

An eternity later, it was up. Mi Sun came out of the trees while Amara used her foot to pound in the pegs.

Mi Sun dropped the wood she'd gathered on the ground. "God job, Amara! One thing though."

"What?" Amara breathed out and brushed the hair from her sweaty face.

Mi Sun made the sweetest smile. "The door is on the wrong side."

"Ugh!"

After correcting the tent situation, Mi Sun managed to start a fire in the near deathly humidity. Amara checked out a rather painful scratch on her elbow while Mi Sun cooked hotdogs on a stick she whittled earlier. They had limited food and water that would last them today and a little of tomorrow due to packing limitations, so they were living off hotdogs for the day at Amara's request.

Amara popped a pain pill for her headache. "So am I going to have to go all the way back down to get Godzilla to come here?"

Mi Sun put a hotdog on a piece of brown bread. "I was thinking you could try calling him from up here."

"For the last time, I don't call him, he just doesn't leave me alone," Amara said, taking the makeshift lunch from Mi Sun with a thanks.

"Oh, just try it."

Amara took a bite instead of answering.

"Please, for me?" Mi Sun looked at her like a child asking for ice cream.

"Oh my god, fine. Let me finish this first."

Mi Sun flashed an appreciative grin.

When the food was finished, Amara put on a dry pair of socks and her damp shoes. The time had come. Again. This time was different, though. She wasn't going to face the monster alone. Mi Sun was right beside her.

And if he did come out of the water, she could just stay back in the trees, out of reach. She was only here to help call him over anyway.

Lead back to the cliff by Mi Sun, Amara stood on the fragmented rocks. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the salty air. The sound of waves crashing against the cliff face filled her ears.

_Okay Godzilla, could you come here or something?_

Ugh, that sounded stupid even in her head. She opened her eyes and scanned the blue waters. Nothing. Well not like he could understand English anyway…

"Did you try it?" Mi Sun asked from beside her.

Amara nodded. "Yeah. But not like it was going to work—"

Something grey neared the surface of the deeper waters off shore. Serrated spikes once again broke the surface, rising higher and higher as they came closer to the cliff below. White water washed from left to right as Godzilla propelled himself forward with powerful strokes of his tail.

When the water became too shallow and his dorsal plates threated to smash into the rocks, he came to a stop. The fins flexed along his spine as he lifted his colossal body out of the ocean.

Amara backed away from the cliff. Her stomach churned, overcome with vertigo from something so large moving below her.

He rose past the cliff, still unfurrowing. Water fell from his body like a waterfall. A rumble reverberated through the air, ancient and deep, felt rather than heard. Until finally, he stood at his full height, shoulders back and head high.

As Amara went to take another step back, she crumpled to her knees. He was right there. His chest like a castle wall, blocking out the endless waters behind him. Shoulders attached to a neck so muscular it was impossible to tell where it began. Gills on either side visibly closed, pushing out any remaining salt water. His body rose and fell as he filled his lungs with air.

Higher yet was his head, easily the size of a house. Features that were clearly reptilian but completely distinct to him and him alone. Teeth, small in proportion to his face, nearly as long as she was tall. In the sunlight his eyes were bright amber and slightly shaded by his deep brow. His scales were marred and worn, lined with scars, old and new.

A hand touched her shoulder. Mi Sun was beside her, somehow still standing. The lack of movement probably meant she was in equal shock.

Godzilla's eyes flickered across the island. Probably looking for the military. Seemingly satisfied, he dropped his chin and looked down at them. When he found her, his golden eyes narrowed. A snarl escaped his throat so deadly that even the trees seemed to quiver.

Mi Sun's hand squeezed her shoulder. "Amara, let's give him some space," she mumbled under her breath.

Godzilla leaned forward, his head closing the gap between them like a falling building. Mi Sun pulled her, but it was no use. Amara flung her body back into the grass and cradled her head in her hands.

This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be eaten! Why did she ever come, this wasn't worth it. Why did he have to eat her? Why did he want her dead?

_Dead? Why would this creature believe that? Were not they meant to be intelligent? She called out to him then cowers. Pitiful, yet justified._

Amara removed her hands. The shadow over her receded with a low growl. What—what was that just now? A thought, clear as day…but it wasn't hers. Just like earlier on the boat.

Ever so slowly, she peaked behind her. Instead of a monster poised and ready to strike, his head was tilted ever so slightly, looking at her…calculatingly?

Mi Sun came back out of the trees. Her hands were on her chest and a huge smile lit up her face. The crazy woman was laughing up towards the titan, tears in her eyes.

She walked towards Amara. "I'm so sorry!"

Amara blew the hair out of her face but didn't make any attempt to move. "You were just going to let him eat me? I thought we were friends Mi Sun!"

"Instinct kicked it, I couldn't help it!" Mi Sun held her hand out for Amara to take. "He's just curious anyway, no need to panic."

Amara took it and got to her feet. Her legs still wobbling. Mis Sun lead her back to their camp and Amara took a seat on a boulder. Instead of sitting down with her, Mi Sun rifled through her equipment bags before slinging them both across her shoulder and heading back towards Godzilla.

The beast kept his eye on Amara, only glancing at Mi Sun now and then.

"Can you let him know what we're doing for me?" she called.

"For the last time—ugh, fine."

When Mi Sun approached him, he turned his focus to her, watching her every movement. He returned his gaze to Amara as if waiting for her to tell him.

She closed her eyes. _She wants to study you._

Godzilla leaned back and puffed his chest out, giving a snort.

Maybe she should move further back. It was possible he could still reach her with his arms.

_If you let her, she might be able to get the military to leave you alone._

Godzilla's posture changed yet again. Relaxing slightly and looking down at Mi Sun.

_Unnecessary._

Amara put a hand up to her forehead. Yes, well it was necessary, or else there was going to be yet another battle.

_He did not seek war. It was these tiny creatures who did. He lived before them, through their rise then fall, then rise again._

Were these thoughts actually his, or was she just losing it?

_If she would not resist, the pain would lessen. If she came near, it would cease._

Did that mean that he was the cause of her headache? But what was she resisting?

Mi Sun had most of her gear out and ready to use. In her hand was the device that measured radiation levels. She walked around for a bit then came back to her bag and wrote something down.

Godzilla stood there. Observing.

Amara got up. For some reason her fear had dissipated. When he was still and had a curious look in his deadly eyes, he wasn't that scary. He wasn't blindly attacking them, or even glowing blue to show them who was boss. His body was relaxed but still held a level of dignity, like an eagle or a lion.

She took a step forward. Then another. And another after that. This wasn't so bad. He hadn't even roared at her yet. She almost made it to Mi Sun when Godzilla started to lean closer to her, his eyes narrowed. There was something incredibly uncanny about it.

Nope. Nevermind. Wasn't happening. Mi Sun was on her own.

Before she turned around, Mi Sun called her. "Amara, don't be scared."

"Don't be sacred?" Amara repeated. "He's glaring at me!"

A mischievous smile crept onto Mi Sun's face. "Amara, I want you to think about what you just said."

"What, that he's looking at me like that? It's freaking me out."

"Do you know why?"

Her eyes dared wander back to the monster. Why was it so strange? Looking closer, he didn't look angry, maybe more annoyed or cautious?

"It's because he's making human like facial expressions, something very few animals can do. From that alone, I can tell he is very, _very_ intelligent. He's not going to attack you, Amara."

Amara stood, glued to the spot. As many times as Mi Sun told her he wouldn't attack, he was still so…big.

"At least come stand behind me. I need his head closer to get samples." Mi Sun held up her saliva swabbing kit.

She forced a leg forward. If the weird thoughts told her it was okay, and Mi Sun said she'd be fine, then she'd give it one more shot.

This time Godzilla stayed relatively still, watching her intently.

Her headache receded with each step. Shrinking until it was just a single spot in the center of her forehead. The voice had been right. It didn't hurt anymore, it was just…there.

She came to a stop beside Mi Sun who had pulled out her notebook and wrote in it vigorously.

Whatever the feeling in her head was, it pulled. Not painfully like the last time, more like someone taking her hand and encouraging her forward. Reassuring.

Godzilla gave her a long stare before attempting to bring his head closer. He moved, slow this time, like the incoming tide.

Amara reached out and took Mi Sun's hand but stood her ground. They both watched as Godzilla's head grew in size until his nose alone obscured everything else.

Amara squeezed her eyes shut as if the titan was a truck about to hit her. But it didn't. Just a sharp inhale of breath and a gust of air. When she opened her eyes, she was met with teeth, huge and interlocking. A low sound escaped through them. Every tiny flex in his jaw exaggerated with his sheer size.

His breath smelled like the ocean after a rainstorm. Like decaying seaweed washed ashore.

He was so close that if she reached out, she could touch him. All the pain in her head vanished as if it were never there. For the first time in weeks, she felt good. Probably a serge of adrenaline from being an armlength away from certain death.

She backed up. Maybe being so close wasn't a great idea. As she did, the pull in her forehead retuned, tugging ever so slightly, urging her back towards him.

As if he felt it too, he stretched further forward to keep close to her. The ground shook as he put a clawed hand on the cliff to steady himself as he leaned.

Mi Sun wasn't far. She fearlessly swabbed Godzilla's gums while he was preoccupied with Amara. She placed the swabs into their containers for safekeeping. She scraped plaque of his teeth and grime off his scales. Finally, she pulled out the device from before. The radiation detector. She held it close to Godzilla's jaw.

The sound of static filled the air. Mi Sun's face paled as she looked at the small screen.

"Amara…we need to go," Mi Sun crocked, backing away. After only a few steps, the static of the device stopped, no longer detecting radiation.

Amara craned her neck to look up into Godzilla's eye. Why hadn't she realized he would be radioactive? How bad was it? Was she going to be sick? Get cancer? Die?

_No, she wouldn't. His energy wasn't harmful._

Mi Sun took her hand again and pulled her away from the monster.

His eyes grew angry—no, betrayed. A complex emotion to express for a creature such as he. But there it was, so clear it was as if she was the one who had been hurt.

Even if the foreign thoughts in her head were the beast's, and his _energy_ was in fact radiation, he wouldn't think it was harmful. But her and Mi Sun were humans, and it was very, _very_ harmful.

_She was wrong._

No, she wasn't. This whole thing was a mistake. She should have stayed home, minded her own business. Is this what she deserved for trying to help? Or did karma run deeper, punishing her for her selfish reasoning for doing so? Lesson learned, then. No amount of money was worth the radiation poisoning sure to come.

Even as her and Mi Sun distanced themselves from Godzilla, her stomach churned and her throat went dry. The headache returned full force, her eyes watered. The titan blurred through her vision.

Godzilla's eyes closed as he recoiled with a sneer. He looked angry as ever. He tilted his chin down, and puffed out his armored chest. He was about to roar.

"Don't you dare!" Amara screamed.

His roar would be heard for miles. Someone would call. The military would swarm the island. Her and Mi Sun would be arrested. Her life, ruined.

Godzilla opened his mouth, but only a snarl escaped before he clamped his jaw back shut with a snap that echoed around them. He turned his shoulder and faced the sea.

His scales disappeared behind the cliffside as he dove back into the depths.


	7. Coming to Terms

_His father gone, only he remained. The last. Alone, in a world of life. Life he was meant to protect. This place depended on him, and he on it. His duty was to survive, even if it was in the dark._

_Then, a thread. It pulled him where it pleased. It hurt to follow and hurt more to resist. It led to a light; tiny, yet impossible to miss._

_It was one of them. The ones who challenged balance. Once they worshipped him, tried to communicate, like the whales. They were intelligent like him, but they were fragile. New to the earth. Their lives fleeting as their feet as they ran from him._

_This one was peculiar. Never had he tried to understand their complex behaviour until the force that pulled him to this one. Their—her voice, at times, clear as his own. It spoke not through language, but intention._

_How?_

Amara opened her eyes slowly. Wasn't she in the water? Who was she again?

The sleeping bag beside hers shuffled as Mi Sun sat up and stretched. Amara only cuddled into hers further, hiding her head away from the warm tones of morning light through the thin fabric of the tent.

Neither of them had much sleep that night. Instead, they waited for the symptoms of radiation poisoning to overcome them.

But none came.

"Are you awake?" Mi Sun's voice sounded from behind the sleeping bag that covered her face.

Amara hummed in response. Opening her mouth was too much effort.

A hand found her shoulder. "Are you alright? Do you feel ill?"

Amara shook her head still staying under the confines of the covers. No, she wasn't sick. Just tired and achy. "Sore," she replied, her voice muffled.

"Sore, how? From hiking yesterday or should we be going to the hospital?"

Amara uncovered her face. The cold air was damp on her face and arms. "Like I had my butt handed to me after a sparring tournament. Not nauseous or anything."

It had been at least a year since her last competition, but the pain was impossible to forget. It was a combination of doing an intense workout, but also being hit and thrown and blasted until it was difficult to stand, but standing up again because the only option was to win or die trying.

Wait no, that wasn't right.

"Guess you're more out of shape than you thought."

"Pfft, yeah right." A hike up to the top of the cliff was enough to make her legs sore. But this was her whole body.

"I still don't understand though, we were exposed to incredibly high levels of radiation when we were taking samples. We know he can absorb it since that's what he did with the bomb after the MUTO attack. Now we know he releases it as well, but it's concentrated very close to his skin, almost like he's releasing and reabsorbing it perpetually."

Mi Sun pulled out her notebook from out of nowhere and started to write down her revelation as it came to her.

"I wonder if it's something he can control. Like he can only release it when he has excess," Amara said. It did remind her of a dream she had.

"Or it's how his body regulates it, like how we breath to oxygenate our blood."

Amara put her hands behind her head. "Or…"

Something caught her eye. Something that should have been there. Vanished, as if it never happened.

Amara took a shallow breath. "Oh my god."

Mi Sun stopped what she was writing and looked down at Amara. "What? What is it?"

"It's gone." Amara sat up, running her hand over where a cut had been yesterday near her elbow.

"What? Amara, I don't know what you're talking about."

"This!" Amara bent her arm back so Mi Sun could see the faint scar that should have been red and scabbed over. "He…he was right."

"What?"

"His energy—radiation, whatever, it doesn't harm, it heals!"

Mi Sun's eyes flicked between Amara's face and arm. "Who? Godzilla?"

"Yes! He told me but I didn't believe him. How can his radiation do this?"

How did he know his radiation could do this? He was a monster made to destroy, meant to kill any advisory. And here he had radiation that could heal? What was he?

Mi Sun leaned closer. "Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean he told you? Are you telling me he actually speaks to you?"

"No he doesn't speak to me, I can hear his thoughts. Or rather, his thoughts are my thoughts. I don't know, it's weird and I don't get it!"

Mi Sun grabbed onto Amara shoulders, a huge smile lighting up her face. "I can't believe it. Not only can you can communicate with Godzilla, but we just leaned that he produces a completely different kind of radiation!" Mi Sun went for her notebook again. "Is he still here? I have to see him!"

That was the last thing on her mind right now. Standing before Godzilla was overwhelming and painfully humbling. Couldn't she just go back to sleep for a few more hours?

"Can we wait and have something to eat first?"

"Alright, let me write all this down, then we'll eat. Try not to fall asleep in the meantime."

The sound of pen scribbling on paper filled Amara's ears as she flopped back down in her sleeping bag. While Mi Sun was ecstatic at the news, she wasn't.

There was no denying the voice now. The intrusive thoughts in her head were his. Did that mean the dreams were more than her imagination as well? Was she seeing through Godzilla's eyes, swimming through a world of his thoughts?

How long would this last? Would he follow her for the rest of her life? No, there must be something he wanted from her. Once she figured out what it was, she would do it and then he would leave her alone and she could go on with her life. The sooner the better.

There were too many problems to let this go on. Right off the bat, that Whyley soldier accused her of speaking to Godzilla, and somehow, he was right. It was unlikely that anything would come from that, though. Even in her head, imagining him trying to explain his theories based on what he saw sounded ridiculous. However, if he were to witness yesterdays events, things would be very different. If anyone saw that, it would surely lead to her being interrogated, or worse.

Mi Sun closed her book with a snap. She pulled a sweater over her head, making her raven hair even messier.

"Want to help me make a fire?" she asked, unzipping the tent.

Amara rifled around for her own jacket. "If it means food, then sure."

Outside of the tent were the remains of yesterdays fire now cold and damp. Mi Sun had her machete out and ready to cut down any unsuspecting branch to have the misfortune to cross her path.

With Mi Sun's instructions, she began her search for dead twigs and dried pine needles to use for kindling. She leaned her head back and forth until satisfying pops filled the air. Ah, much better. Amara pulled out her knife. This time she wasn't going to cut herself.

Wait.

She held her hand up to her face, inspecting the finger she nicked the day before. Sure enough, no trace of that either.

Godzilla called it his "energy". He was aware of what he was doing, but was it intentional?

_Yes._

Amara stumbled on a branch she was walking over. She looked back and forth as if Godzilla were to pop up through the trees at any moment. He'd heard that? But he wasn't anywhere near her. He was…underwater, on the other side of the island.

How did she know that?

_She didn't. He did._

How was this possible? How could a however million year old monster be talking to her? She wanted nothing to do with these thoughts. Nothing to do with him.

Instead of another foreign thought entering her head, pain did. The familiar throb of her headache pulsed behind her temples. At the same time, the soreness in the rest of her body went away. Why couldn't she just feel normal?

She finished gathering a decent amount of kindling and headed back to the camp. Mi Sun was already there, organizing branches into a standing cone. Amara crouched down beside her, placing the small twigs in between them.

"Here, put them at the base of the branches." Mi Sun placed one as an example.

Amara did as she was instructed, placing the kindling down under the branches. Mi Sun then handed her a lighter and she lit the twig on fire. I burned for a moment, then fizzled out. She tried a second time. It went out again.

Amara looked to M Sun. "Why won't it burn?"

"The humidity and the moisture in the wood. You'll need to start with the smallest pieces first, once they catch, then you can put the bigger ones in."

Once again, Amara did as she was told. Starting with some pine needles instead. After three attempts, they caught and a tiny fire was born. Carefully, she added the smallest of the twigs. Even blowing them gently as Mi Sun suggested. The fire grew, engulfing the branches Mi Sun had set up.

The fire was beautiful. Maybe because of the warmth that cut though the morning ocean mist, or maybe because she created it. It burned with life of its own, content with its size. It was satisfying to watch. Dare she say, it was even fun making it. Growing up, camping was the bane of her existence. She spent the entire time pouting and asking if they could go back home.

Perhaps she could do this again sometime. With Mi Sun.

Mi Sun put an iron kettle full of water next to the flames. Amara got out two cups, two bowls, some tea bags, oats, and brown sugar. Oatmeal and tea were for breakfast. They sat in content silence for a bit. The only noises were the waves crashing below and the birds chirping from the trees behind.

"So what exactly did Godzilla 'say' to you about his radiation yesterday?"

"He didn't call it radiation, he called it his 'energy'. He said it wasn't harmful, but I didn't believe him. Sure, he wouldn't think radiation wasn't bad because he's a walking nuclear powerplant. How would he know if it were dangerous to others or not?"

"Because he uses it as a weapon as well," Mi Sun said as she took a cloth to grab the kettle from the fire.

"So what? He has two different types of radiation? How is that possible?"

"Well let's see, from what we know so far, he absorbs radiation, be it from the earth or man made things like bombs. This is harmful radiation in its natural state. Now my theory is once he absorbs it, he must convert it to a different form he can use. Like how we convert our food into—what did he call it? Oh yes, _energy_ "

Amara passed Mi Sun the bowls of dry oatmeal so she could add the hot water. "So he converts harmful radiation into, what, beneficial radiation? What about his atomic breath or whatever they're calling it?"

"Perhaps he stores harmful radiation elsewhere in his body, a special organ, perhaps. Or maybe he's able to convert it back, that seems less likely though."

"I guess that's something that we can't find out until we can do an autopsy after he dies."

Amara's gaze fell to her bowl of oatmeal. For some reason picturing Godzilla dead was uncomfortable. But she didn't even like him that much…did she?

"Amara! Don't talk like that! There's a much easier way to find out."

"Oh yeah, how?"

Mi Sun's smile brightened. "You can ask him!"

Amara brought a hand to her forehead. Even the thought of communicating with the monster made her headache worse.

Mi Sun must have noticed. "Headache again?"

Amara nodded.

"I'm assuming you know what it's from at this point?"

Again, Amara nodded. "It's to do with Godzilla, I know that much. I think it hurts more when he tries to communicate with me. At first it felt like being hit by a truck whenever I had an intrusive thought. I thought I was going crazy, but the thoughts always told me to 'stop resisting', which I'm still not one hundred percent sure what he means. But yesterday, when I got really close to him, the pain finally went away. Until this morning, that is."

"Did something happen this morning to trigger it?"

"I was minding my own business looking for twigs and stuff, when he started talking to me. I told him I didn't want him in my head, and the headache came back."

Mi Sun swallowed a bite. "And did he stop talking to you?"

"Yeah, haven't heard anything since."

"It's obvious then."

Mi Sun pulled the tea bag out of her cup and threw it in the fire. Amara copied her action and took a sip of her own. Black tea wasn't the greatest.

"What is?" Amara asked.

"The more you resist him, the more your headache persists."

"Oh, that makes sense."

How did she not figure that one out? It _was_ obvious. But why did it have to hurt just to resist a connection she didn't ask for in the first place?

"Do you know if he feels the pain too?"

Her dream from last night came back to her. _It hurt to follow and hurt more to resist._

"I think so. Back on the beach when he was trying to talk to me, my head really hurt, and he recoiled in pain at the same time."

"You said you were sore this morning. Are you still?"

"No, it went away when…"

"When your headache came back?"

Not only could she hear his thoughts and share his emotions, could she actually feel his pain too? Could he feel hers?

"You don't think?"

Mi Sun nodded. "You felt his pain, most likely from his fight with Gidorah. When you rejected him, you cut off the connection. Fascinating. It not like you're communicating telepathically, it's more like your minds are connected."

"But why me? I'm—" Pain filled her mind, consuming her thoughts.

A sound echoed across the island. A whale call, but deeper and much louder, almost a roar from under the crashing waves.

"Ah, finally, he's back!" Mi Sun got up, her oatmeal finished. "You should take Godzilla's advice and stop resisting."

Mi Sun went back into the tent where her bags were. Only to come out a minute later with a rather impressive looking camera hanging around her neck. Did she plan on taking pictures of Godzilla?

Another wail came from below the cliff. If Amara were to stand up and look over it, surely she would see the serrated spikes of his back jutting out of the water. Why was he so persistent? They learned enough about him yesterday, couldn't they just leave already?

Mi Sun was already out by the edge of the cliff, looking down into the ocean. Not a second later, she put the camera up to her face, taking who knows how many pictures of the beast below.

The ground shook as the titan came to a stand. A slow process being something so large. Was the soreness she felt earlier really from him? It had been almost three months since the mass awakening and he was still in pain? The battle must have taken more of a toll than he let on. Then again, showing weakness would only make the king of the monsters that much more of a target for other titans that may have wanted his place.

Looking at him now, partially clouded by the glowing orange mist, he did look tired. Yesterday, he was just an angry massive lizard. But taking a closer look now, that was only partially true.

His movements were slow and deliberate, even for him. The healing scars on his face were red and itchy. His eagle like eyes drooped as if he had to force them into keeping up the threating stare.

If Mi Sun could see it too, she didn't mention it. She still had the camera in front of her face, taking more pictures, aiming everywhere from his face to his claws.

No pain burned behind her eyes as Godzilla looked at her. Did that mean he wasn't trying to communicate? What was he doing then? Waiting for her to go first? To stop resisting whatever this was? For her to accept the fact she was able to hear a titan's thoughts as if they were her own?

She took a step towards him.

And he, towards her.

Their footfalls in sync. The earth rumbled as if it were her step that caused it.

Mi Sun lowered her camera and backed away, a curious expression on her face.

"What do you want?" Amara asked him out loud. Her headache faded as she waited for his response.

_What did he want? Only to be left alone._

_What did she want from him? To destroy her enemies? To control him? It was foolish to even try. His will was stronger. He could control her. Pitiful creature._

The onslaught of thoughts came barrage of emotion. Difficult to identify, but negative in nature. It was clear he wanted nothing to do with her, as she did with him. Controlling him was the last thing on her mind. The only goal she worked towards now was keeping the military away from him so neither party was at risk of dying.

_And how does a lone human expect to dissuade others of its kind? It wasn't how their species worked, they used numbers to show their power and only two stood before him. Not enough to create change._

Were these actually Godzilla's thoughts? He knew so much. Concepts only humans could understand, and they were coming from a lizard titan.

Godzilla let out a growl that rattled the earth. He leaned down closer, bearing his teeth and narrowing his eyes at her.

_She dare think him anything lesser than what he was? Had he not shown them enough of his power for their respect? His foes were theirs as well. Do they think so highly of themselves yet after his aid?_

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you." Amara raised her hands and backed away.

It's just that all of this was new. She never imagined even meeting Godzilla, let alone talking to him. He was right, she was tiny and pitiful compared to him, and there was only her and Mi Sun against the government. But Mi Sun wasn't an ordinary human. She had power through knowledge and could use that to convince the government that he wasn't a threat. That he could be left alone. That he wanted to be left alone.

Godzilla's face softened. His mouth relaxed, ending his growl. Even his pupils seemed to dilate.

_It was new to him as well. Hearing another's thoughts was disorientating. He would forgive her._

What? Did he just say he'd forgive her? _Godzilla_ forgive _her_? This was surreal.

A click of a camera sounded from behind her. She turned to see Mi Sun still holding up the camera now pointed at her and Godzilla.

"Say cheese!"

Amara plastered a dumb smile on her face. "Cheese?" she said under her breath.

There was click as Mi Sun took another picture. She lowered the camera and made her way towards Amara, her eyes on the screen. "Look," she said as she came to a stand beside her.

On the digital screen was a picture of Amara making a rather dumb face and Godzilla looking down at her curiously. The picture was slightly blurry and Godzilla was dark, but the sky was a vibrant coral. It was actually kind of cute.

"Awe, look at that face your making, you do like him! Don't worry I'll let you have a copy."

"Oh please," Amara said with a laugh. "I didn't know you were a photographer."

Mi Sun began scrolling through the other pictures of Godzilla she took. Most were poorly lit, angles off and parts of Godzilla were out of frame. She was definitely not a natural. Still, Amara found one that had most of Godzilla's head in it and complimented it.

"Thanks!" Mi Sun smiled. "It's a new hobby of mine. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"If it were legal, you could probably sell these for lots of money. I mean, I think the only other pictures of Godzilla like this are from when he was unconscious in San Fran."

Photos of firefighters in front of Godzilla circulated the internet for months. It was the first time people could really see just how big he was compared to a human. They thought he was dead at the time, since they reported he had no heartbeat. Just another mystery about how the king of the monsters worked.

"They're all part of what we could offer Monarch. Well, except for the last one. That one's for you."

"Oh, well, thanks." Did Mi Sun expect her to frame it and put it on her wall for her and others to enjoy?

"Now, back to business. Did you ask about his radiation yet?"

Oh yeah, his radiation. How did she go about asking that? She turned back towards Godzilla. He wouldn't get offended again, would he?

_Radiation. It was what they called his energy. They believed his was dangerous, but they were wrong._

_From a young age, he was taught to control it. Absorbing it came as naturally as breathing. Some places it was plentiful, and some, so little it was suffocating. When his energy was abundant, his body would release the excess._

_The first time it happened he was in the water. Life flocked to him, absorbing his energy for themselves. If he stopped, they would fade back into the blue. It was a way to help them, and in turn, he wasn't alone. If only for a while._

Godzilla leaned back as if to distance himself from Amara, looking away from her.

Alone. It wasn't the first time she'd heard him say that. He mentioned it in her dream too.

He was the last of his kind and sought to communicate with the other ocean creatures. He learned to use his radiation to draw them near and keep him company. Even as his thoughts entered her mind, his loneliness followed. It was personal and possibly more than he meant to reveal. But that was the nature of a connection like theirs. Keeping secrets wouldn't be easy.

"He says he is aware of the effects of his radiation. Like you thought, it's the excess he doesn't need because he can't control how much he absorbs," she relayed to Mi Sun who had her book ready.

Mi Sun scribbled down the information so quickly that her usual perfect handwriting was barely legible. "And did you find out what he wants yet?"

Amara shook her head. "All he wants is to be left alone, so that's really nothing new. Then he asked what I wanted from him. He assumed I wanted to control him or something."

"He thinks you can control him?"

"Well no, he said I wasn't strong enough and it was more likely that he could control me."

"Do you think he would?"

"I don't think so." Amara diverted her gaze back to Godzilla. "I don't understand though. If I don't want anything from him, and he doesn't want anything from me, then why are we connected?"

"Who knows." Mi Sun also turned to face the titan. "But the important thing is you're using it to help him, which I imagine he knows by now?"

"Yeah. But he doesn't think we can do anything about it."

"That's for us to know and him to find out, isn't it then?"

"You really think it will work? How do we prove any of this without saying that 'he told me'? Because absolutely no one can know about this." She gestured to herself and the titan.

"I agree. I'm sure the saliva samples will supply some answers towards his radiation. We can also look at the seabed of his typical territorial routs to see if there are any differences in the marine life. If his positive radiation is this powerful, surely there would be noticeable differences."

She'd never thought of that. There was a show not too long ago that brought up the how fast vegetation was taking over San Francisco and Hawaii. Was Godzilla's radiation strong enough to make a difference in the ocean as well?

_It was how he followed the same paths time after time._

Her neck snapped towards Godzilla at the sudden thought.

"What, did he just say something?"

"He says you're right. It's how he follows the same routes."

Mi Sun was about to say something when a whirring sound came from above them. It sounded like a—

"Helicopter!" Mi Sun's eyes shot upwards. "Amara, you have to get Godzilla to leave!"

The sound grew louder, but the helicopter was still yet to be seen from above the trees behind them.

Amara practically ran towards the titan, waving her arms. "Go, get out of here before they see you!"

He bared his teeth and straightened his posture. Nostrils flared and a snarl from deep inside his throat, loud enough to overcome the oncoming helicopter.

_He would destroy it._

Anger consumed her. It wasn't hers though, rather his.

"No you can't destroy it! If you want them to leave you alone, you have to hide!"

His growl only deepened. His eyes flashed.

_He did not hide from these lesser creatures. He was their king, even their god once. Now he must bend to their will lest they attack? What has become of them?_

Godzilla let out a final snort before pinning his sharp glare to Amara.

_But this one claimed to help him. Claimed she could end their unfounded distrust. Then he shall see what becomes of it. For now._

The helicopter flew over the treeline just as Godzilla dove into the water in one fluid motion. Amara and Mi Sun made a dash for the trees.

The helicopter flew past, not even slowing down as it passed over where Godzilla stood only moments ago. It merely flew on towards the next island. No marking to indicate were it was from or where it was going.

Both Amara and Mi Sun let out a breath of relief. Disaster avoided.

"Is it time to go home now?" Amara asked.

"Yeah, lets start packing before I have another heart attack."


	8. Not an Option

Mi Sun twisted a rope around a post, tying her fishing boat onto the docks. It was late afternoon by the time they got back to the mainland, thankfully nothing eventful happened along the way.

Even if Godzilla was swimming just below them most of the way back.

Despite Amara keeping her mind open towards Godzilla’s thoughts, few came. The creature preferred silence for the most part, but his presence in her mind was clear as day. What could he see? What could he feel?

Like before, her headache was nearly unnoticeable, while the rest of her body was heavy and sore again. How long was that going to last?

She tilted her head until it cracked. That was…slightly better.

Clouds blanketed the sky, threatening rain but not delivering. The wind was cool and mild, a familiar feeling to anyone who lived along the coast. Not far off were clear skies, the day would likely get better soon.

Amara climbed out of the boat first. Mi Sun passed her down the bags which she piled up beside her on the docks. Once they were all unloaded, Mi Sun hopped off as well. They each loaded up with bags and headed towards Mi Sun’s beloved Hilux SUV. They placed the bags in the back and got in.

Mi Sun threw a smile at her “I’m surprised you remembered to get in on the right side!”

Amara raised a brow. “You mean left, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

They laughed at the stupid joke like a pair of children.

The roads weren’t terribly busy thanks to them arriving before the evening rush hour. Not like Mi Sun lived that far away, they could see the marina from the corner of her window. It only took a few minutes before Mi Sun pulled into her parking space in the underground lot.

Once again, they loaded their arms up with bags. Amara spin to head for the elevator when a gasp stopped her in her tracks.

“Oh no, I forgot my camera bag!” Mi Sun said, rummaging through the bags strapped around her.

Amara walked back towards the Hilux. “Should we go back then?”

“No no, here are my keys.” Mi Sun pulled a set out from her pocket. “I’ll run and grab it and come right back.”

“Alright, here I’ll take those then,” Amara said, reaching out for Mi Sun’s bags.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Amara took the bag off Mi Sun’s shoulder, adding it to the ones she already had.

Mi Sun climbed back into the SUV. “You know where the tea is, if you want to make any for me.” She winked.

“If I make it to your door that is!” Amara turned back towards the elevator with a wave.

The engine roared to life behind her.

“I believe in you, Amara!” Mi Sun called from out the window as she drove away.

Amara walked into the elevator with a smile still on her face. Who knew she would be here right now, friends with a renowned and rather funny biologist, illegally researching a titan that she’d thought she’d never even meet.

Speaking of Godzilla, something was different. He stopped following them around thirty kilometres out from the beach. _Too close­,_ he had thought.

Since she consciously kept her mind open, both on the island and on the boat on the way back, when he wasn’t ‘speaking’ to her, he was quite. But this far away, it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t like he was choosing not to speak, it was that he couldn’t, like he wasn’t there. Did their connection not work when they were apart?

She inspected the top corners of the elevator. No cameras. Good. She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Are you there?_

She kept her eyes shut, waiting for a response.

None came.

“Huh, weird,” she said out loud.

The elevator dinged and opened. She adjusted the bags that dug into her shoulders and headed towards Mi Sun’s door just down the hall. Once she reached the door, she put some of the bags down so she could get a proper hold of the keys.

She held one up, about to put it into the lock, then stopped.

The door wasn’t closed all the way. Mi Sun had locked it though, hadn’t she? Or did she forget? They did leave early, and they were distracted. I would be an easy thing to forget about, carrying all those bags too.

Amara put the other bags down, her fingers slowing reaching towards the door. Did anyone even notice that it wasn’t fully closed? She pressed her palm against the cool metal, the door giving way to her hand.

The small home appeared normal at first glance. She pushed the door open further. Something on the floor caught her eye. Dirt. Boot prints marred the shiny hardwood. Amara followed them as the headed inside. They were big. Bigger than any footprints her or Mi Sun could make.

Something else was off too. The once neat stacks of research papers on Mi Sun’s desk and coffee table were scattered around, some on the floor. Drawers were opened and curtains drawn.

Someone broke in. She took a step back. They were gone now though, right? Did…did she call Mi Sun or the police? Maybe she should leave in case—

Boots clicked against the hardwood behind her.

She spun back towards the door, taking a step back, distancing herself. A developed reaction.

“You must be Ms. Rey.”

Amara didn’t reply. Not one, but two men in dark clothes blocked the exit. How did they know her last name? What did they want?

They came towards her, one after the other in the narrow entrance hallway. She backed towards the window. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape. Even if she made it out to the balcony, she was on the fifth floor, jumping was out of the question.

Unarmed she could probably take them both on depending on their own fighting skill. They didn’t wear any sort of uniform that indicated they had training, but they could easily have weapons concealed beneath their jackets.

“Watch out,” The blonde man told the other one who wore a baseball cap, “W says she’s a fighter.”

How did they know that?

The one wearing a hat strode past the other and towards Amara. “I want to see how good she is,” he said, his amused tone contrasting with the others more serious one.

Who ever this man was, he intended to fight her. A prepared opponent in an actual, real life fight. If she got through him, maybe she could catch the other off guard. All she had to do was get them on the ground and get out. Simple. If the tried to punch her, she could block. She’d done it a million times before. It was instinct.

In a flash, he was coming at her, fists raised in front of his face in a traditional fighting stance. Did he intend to knock her out? Would he go straight for her face?

Sure enough, he jabbed. His fist aimed for her nose. Before it could make contact she leaned away with practiced ease. He was slow to recoil his arm. Too slow. She spun, grabbed it while putting her back into him. In the next instant he was over her shoulder and on the floor with a thud.

Amara made a move for the next man, confident now, or perhaps stupid. As she closed the distance, the blonde man pulled something from under his jacket. A knife.

She froze. A real knife. Not a fake one, not one she could screw up and laugh about with her sparring partner. A weapon that could kill her. Slowly and painfully or in an instant depending on where it cut. This wasn’t training and this man wasn’t joking around.

There was a grunt from behind her. The other man had gotten up again. She was surrounded. Her body, paralyzed. Were they going to kill her? Why? What did she do?

The man with the knife must have noticed her fear. “Good girl.” He then looked at the other man with a raised brow. “I warned you.”

The other man put his baseball cap back on. “Yeah, yeah, shuttup,” he replied with a grunt.

The men spoke causally, as if they hadn’t just broken into Mi Sun’s apartment and come after her. Who were they?

Despite her curiosity, her lips remained glued.

“Now—Amara, was it? Are you going to cooperate, or are we going to have to get serious?” the blonde asked.

“S—serious?”

“Just got word the biologist just retuned,” the man behind her said.

The blonde didn’t say anything, just raised his eyebrows further at her. His point was clear. If Mi Sun walked in, they would hurt her. Mi Sun couldn’t defend herself like she could. And against two men with weapons, Amara could only do so much to protect her.

“I’ll cooperate.” Her voice was very audible, even to her own ears.

The blond man smirked. “Let’s go then.”

“And do go trying anything, I’d hate to have to shoot you.” The other man’s tone was joking, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t actually do it.

She exited the condo into the hallway with one in front and one behind, past the bags still on the floor. Instead of turning towards the elevators, they led her the opposite direction towards the stairs. As they strode down the hall, they walked on either side of her. The man put the knife in his pocket but left his hand in it casually.

Amara did not speak.

Years of training so she could defend herself in this very situation gone to waste. The mere sight of a knife immobilized her. If he came after her with it, would she have attacked, or curled up into a ball until she was dead? Would Mi Sun come to her funeral? Would her father?

They exited the main entrance of the building out into broad daylight. The clouds had past. It was hotter than before. The hair behind the back of her neck was damp with sweat. Her mouth was dry. Her hands trembled.

Parked down the street was a dark grey car with a rental plate. They lead her to it and told her to sit in the back. She did. As they got in the front seats, she did up her seatbelt. It was an automatic motion.

Once they set off towards their destination, the man with the hat rested one hand on the steering wheel and looked back at her from the rear-view mirror. “So what are you trained in? Karate, MMA, Judo? Done some Muay Thai myself.”

Was this man trying to make conversation with her? What the hell? This was clearly a joke. They kidnap her and then act like it’s a causal outing?

The other man must have thought the same. “What is this a date to you, D? Stop talking to the hostage.”

“Ooh, using our code names now? Okay, Mr. A.”

The other man scoffed. “Can you at least try to act professional?”

“And exactly which part about kidnapping a college student is professional to you?” He then batted his eyelashes at the blonde. “Besides, the only one I want to go on a date with, is you.”

They turned off a freeway towards an exit under a large sign that read _Airport_.

The blond man made a gagging noise. “I have a girlfriend.”

“It’s okay, I’ll wait.”

Was this for real? Did she fall asleep during the ride back and this was all some horrible dream?

“I’m going to purpose soon!”

“Have you seen the divorce rates? It’ll just make our future life more complicated. You’ll have to move in with me when she takes the house.”

“We have a hostage in the car. Please shut up,” the blonde seethed.

The local airport came into view. Where were they taking her?

“Yeah, on W’s crackpot theory.” He looked back at her through the mirror again as if she would confirm or deny his statement.

The only “crackpot theory” she was dealing with right now was her ability to communicate with Godzilla through some sort of mental connection. But there was only one person who immediately believed it, one person who called her out before she herself accepted it to be true.

She caught sight of something through the window. Large and black, completely unmarked, sitting on a large slab of tarmac. A helicopter.

They drove past it following flag people’s directions towards a small private jet. Two more men similarly dressed stood at the base of the steps up to it.

The airport staff were none the wiser to what was going on. Amara waited for the blonde man, A., to open her door and pull her out by the forearm. She complied. The knife was still in his pocket. There were three other men. Would they kill the airport staff if she screamed for help? They threatened Mi Sun, so it wasn’t beyond them.

She was led up the stairs with A.’s hand behind her back. A supportive gesture to unknowing onlookers. She was placed in a seat beside a window. A. sat down beside her while the other men filed in taking their own seats. All told, there were her and four other men plus the pilot and co-pilot.

The door was closed, and the engines fired up. A couple of the men looked directly at her.

It didn’t take long for the plane to approach the runway. Within a few minutes they launched and took off into the sky. Amara grasped the arm rests. There was no going back now. She blinked away her blurred vision.

“I can’t believe we are actually doing this,” one of the unknown men said. He had shoulder length hair tied back into a ponytail and an Italian accent. “I mean we are talking about psychic powers!”

“Maybe she’s faking it for attention,” said the other man with short black hair. He looked slightly Asian but had no distinguishable accent.

Faking it for attention? That wasn’t even possible. Godzilla could be anywhere on the plant at any given moment and someone could just pretend to know where he was or what he was going to do? Even she couldn’t deny that it was no coincidence he showed up wherever she went. Or how he rose out of the water when she called him.

Things like that couldn’t be faked.

But still, had Whyley been the one to tell them? She was done with coincidences and the men calling the one who told them “W.” was easy enough to put together. Did they get to him first? Interrogate him because of what he saw on the beach? Maybe he told them in exchange for money or a favor. Or did they have some sort of deal with the military?

Who were these men anyways? Who did they work for? Or was this all of them? They wanted her because of her connection to Godzilla, but what would they do with that information? Experiment on her to find out why? To find out what made her so special?

“I don’t think you can just fake communicating with a titan on her level. I mean, she’s been spotted with him three times in a row all in different areas.” D. shrugged, brushing his styled hair back and putting his hat back on.

H. nodded but avoided eye contact with his admirer. “Yeah magical powers don’t seem that far-fetched when we have a two hundred foot spider with a squid face walking around.”

“Or a giant lava bird thing,” D. was happy to chime in.

The Italian man made a hand gesture. “Rodan is magnifico!”

“Ghidorah is by far the best,” A. countered.

The more solemn man with black hair crossed his arms. “Yeah maybe before we let him out of his ice cube.”

D was quick to respond. “At least Big G showed up and put him in his place. Godzilla is the strongest titan.” He looked over at A with a half sincere expression. “Sorry.”

“You and W. are such fanboys!” The long haired man exclaimed with another wave of his hand.

D spoke up again. “Well it’s true. I’m pissed the government is trying to kill him.”

“Yeah well that’s why you’re here isn’t it?” the Asian man grumbled.

He was here to save Godzilla? How? Using her?

“Not my fault you were volun-told, Mr. H.” D. raised his brows at the man.

H.’s glare only intensified. “They’re just stupid animals. Godzilla’s just got enough testosterone to fuel a continent, that’s all. He’d fight anything that looked at him the wrong way. Stupid lizard. He’s going to be dead soon enough thanks to the government’s master plan.”

Out of nowhere Amara opened her mouth. “He’s not stupid and the government is not going to kill him!”

All eyes fell on her. She snapped her mouth back shut and curled back into herself. Why had she blurted that out? It was like they were insulting her family. Telling her he couldn’t wait for her best friend to die.

That wasn’t right. Sure, she was becoming more familiar with Godzilla, but far from anything close. It was only yesterday that she called him a lizard. Not that she really meant for it to sound demining like he did.

Godzilla _was_ intelligent, though. But being her stubborn self, he had to prove it to her in the most direct way possible. He was fully self aware and capable of higher thought, something that until that point only humans were thought to have.

“And what are you going to do about it? Tell the world you can speak to Godzilla? That’s not going to change a thing.” H. stared straight into her soul.

“The boss seems to think otherwise,” The Italian man said.

H. shook his head. “This isn’t the first irrational idea he’s come up with so I wouldn’t get too optimistic.”

A round of unified nodding and grumbles came from the men fading into silence.

Outside the window was nothing but clouds and water. A beautiful sight if it wasn’t for the situation. Where were they taking her? Maybe a base or hideout. It sounded like she was a part of a controversial plan to do with Godzilla, but what?

The ocean was endless below, hypnotic ripples weaving across the surface in a never ending pattern. For some reason she knew he wasn’t there. The connection wasn’t there. His thoughts not silent, but completely absent. It only confirmed what she had thought in the elevator.

He’d been able to follow her before, but how? He had no problem trailing her back to Vancouver Island from California, then back again. He even knew she was going back to California before she did.

The only times she could feel his presence then was when she was in the water…

Or when she was dreaming about him.

In the dreams it was like she was him, or rather they were one. She was just along for the ride as he swam. Could she call for him then? Get him to follow her wherever she was being taken?

But then what? If he came, what would he do? Threaten them like he did the soldiers on the beach? Would he attack?

If he did that, it could be all over for him. The government would see it as another random attack on humans and only push harder to kill him. Calling him would lead to his demise. All because of her.

She wouldn’t do that to him. Godzilla was a creature far beyond her. Far beyond any of them. A personification of nature itself. He shouldn’t be used as a tool for anyone’s plan, no matter how great its purpose.

Her eyes drooped. The only sounds were the jet engines and a quite debate over Rodan and Ghidorah between the Italian man and A.

H. was silently looking out his own window and D. had his hat pulled over his eyes already asleep. They really weren’t expecting much from her, were they?

She blinked slowly, shifting her gaze back to the water.

Not like there was anything she could do. She was trapped on a plane with them over the ocean. She would just have to wait till they got to where they were going and make a plan from there. So far, running was the best she could come up with.

Why was she so tired all of a sudden? Shouldn’t she be wide awake in this situation? Everything was crashing down on her all at once. Thirst, hunger, fatigue.

…Was Mi Sun okay?

_Blackness._

_Something was wrong. Where was she? Her fear was overwhelming. She was in peril, but he could not find her._

_Why was he attached to a human of all creatures? Why not something stronger, capable of defending itself?_

_Why wouldn’t she call him? He had to find her. She was too far._

_“I’m here!”_

_Where? Louder, she had to be louder._

_“I don’t know where.” The string pulled at her mind. Was it him? Focusing on it, she yanked it back. The string became taut, pulling from both ends._

_There. He found her in the sky. He found her. He would come._

_“No!”_

_It wasn’t an option._


	9. Amara Vs. Jonah

Amara sat in a metal framed chair with torn black padding. The room was small with only enough space for a table in the middle and two chairs, one on either side. The white walls were poorly painted, and the ceiling light was uncomfortably bright, agitating her headache.

She wasn’t tied down to the chair, in fact, the door wasn’t even closed all the way. The only thing keeping her there were the two men standing in either corner. Unlike the men on the plane, these ones were in military-esque uniforms. Their guns clearly visible. Both their faces were void of emotion as the looked to the opposite wall. If it wasn’t for their subtle movements, they could have been mistaken for statues.

It didn’t help that she had no idea where she was. It was dark when she arrived. Outside the plane was humid and warm and smelled of the ocean. Somewhere tropical, perhaps. The only permanent building looked to be an old factory, everything else was temporary, tents and awnings. As they led her towards cement building, she caught sight of the rocky shoreline, water shining in the moonlight through the rocky outcrops scattered across the beach.

She must have sat there in silence for almost an hour before the sound of footsteps outside the door reached her ears.

A man strolled into the room, hands behind his back, nose high. He had wispy white hair brushed back, emphasizing his receding hairline. He wore a black turtle neck and utility pants. The clothing did not hide the fact he was still in incredible shape despite his age. He didn’t sit down.

“Hello, darling. I hope the boys treated you nicely?” His eyes shone blue in the white lighting. Piecing and soulless.

She didn’t answer. This man was terrifying. His soft words did little to dampen the unease bubbling inside her. How was she going to get away?

“Do you know why I invited you here?”

It was pretty obvious what a man who was involved with titans wanted from her.

“…No,” she replied instead. Her voice barely audible over the hum of the lights.

If he didn’t like her answer, he didn’t show it. “And I don’t suppose you know who I am?”

“Alan Jonah.” She dared not look at him in the eye.

He raised his brows and began to pace. “My reputation proceeds me then. I do hope you won’t let any pre conceived notions taint your first impression of me.”

The pre conceived notions she had of the man were perfectly justified. He was the one responsible for releasing that hydra, Ghidorah, into the world.

He paced back and forth. “Not a talkative one are we? No need to be nervous. I just have a few questions…if you be willing to answer?”

She kept her mouth shut. Ever since Ghidorah was awoken, news casts warned about Jonah and the military’s efforts to put him behind bars. Everyone was told to stay away from him at all costs.

And now she was sitting in front of him because of that stupid li—Godzilla. Because of Godzilla. None of this was his fault.

“A mutual friend of ours believes you can communicate with Godzilla, is this true?”

Amara remained motionless. Telling the truth was not an option but lying wasn’t something she was skilled at. And who knew what this man was capable of. He was being nice enough though, and he was waiting for an answer. 

She shook her head.

“A verbal answer, darling.” He crossed his arms.

She swallowed. “No.”

Jonah resumed his pacing. “I understand your hesitation to admit such a gift. But you can at least tell me if you’ve seen him in person?”

Of course he knew she’d seen him face to face. Why else would he bring her here? Was this a test? She’d be stupid to lie about anything she didn’t have to.

“Yes.”

He stopped moving and faced her. His expression became mildly surprised, perhaps of her honest answer. “On multiple occasions?”

Amara squeezed the arm rest. “Yes.”

“How many?” he asked, putting his hand on the back of the chair across from her.

She looked at the fake woodgrain surface of the table. Would he even believe her if she told him? Probably not.

“Three,” she said. Still not looking him in the eye.

“See, this isn’t so bad, is it now?” A smile appeared on his face. It did nothing to brighten his dead eyes.

“No…it’s not.”

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that you’ve come face to face with Godzilla more than once?”

How much should she tell him? It was impossible to believe it was a coincidence, even for her. The only thing he couldn’t know was that she could hear Godzilla’s thoughts.

Curiosity came naturally to all creatures and Godzilla was no exception. To everyone else, Godzilla was just an animal, just as she believed days ago.

She clasped her hands together. They were cold and sweaty. “I think he’s curious about me.”

“Curious you say? Do you know why?” His gaze pricked her skin.

“No. I don’t really have any stand out qualities. Maybe I’m just unlucky.”

“Quite the contrary, my dear.” He looked down at her. “I believe you have a gift. A gift that could save the world. There’s no need to be shy about your ability. I can help you. Provide you and Godzilla with a place to hide away from prying eyes.” His smile was dark. “And overtime, I believe you will develop your gift, and through you and Godzilla, we can bring true balance back to this earth.”

“Balance? Isn’t Godzilla already doing that on his own?”

There was no way that she was going to mention how the only one threatening balance was the very man himself.

But wait, wasn’t Jonah anti-human? Wasn’t that why he released Ghidorah in the first place? Why didn’t she pay more attention to the news instead of avoiding it?

“The world is far from balanced, my dear. In fact, it’s about to tip over. And once it does, there’s no going back.”

“You’re talking about…us, right?”

“I am. But as I said, you are uniquely able to save us. From ourselves.”

Was he implying that he wanted her to do what Godzilla stopped only a few months ago by using Godzilla himself?

Jonah continued. “You can control him. He is the alpha of the titans. With your command, he will finish what King Ghidorah started. A mass awakening. Wiping out humanity until they see that we do not control this world. That they must bend to the will of the titans and the earth or perish in the devastation.

“Where our last plan failed, you can succeed. Godzilla will not only be a god among the titans, but humanity as well. Humans know they are destroying the earth, but refuse to do anything about it beyond what—trying to recycle? Useless. The problem is the sheer number of people, endlessly growing no matter the consequences.

“The titans will purge humanity and restore the planet. No more pollution. No more overpopulation. No more destruction of our precious recourses. It would become a utopia.”

Amara said nothing. The man was crazy. Truly insane. His motives may have had some footing, but his execution was unacceptable. Millions were already dead because of the titans. There were still thousands of memorials going on as they spoke. The world was still recovering from the last time, and he just wanted to do it again? Kill more people? Using her and Godzilla? How dare he!

Despite all the emotion, only one thing spilled from her mouth.

“I—I can’t control him.”

Jonah let out a breath through his nose. “We’ll just have to test that then, won’t we?”

He waved his finger and the men behind him came to life. They walked around either side of the table towards her. With nowhere to go, she curled back into the chair. One of the men grabbed her upper arm and pulled her to her feet.

Test it? How? Was Godzilla already here? The last thing she needed was for him to show up and prove to Jonah that he was following her around. Maybe she shouldn’t have said he was curious. Maybe she should have lied.

She was led back down flight after flight of stairs and into the lobby. Jonah was close behind.

Ocean air blasted at her face as they exited the large building. They walked incredibly fast, she stumbled along, her sandals not meant for the rough terrain out towards the beach.

A raised platform came into view. A wide staircase going up. It was round. A helicopter pad. As she ascended the steps, she found it empty. Just her and the men.

They came to a halt facing the ocean. The only light coming from the crescent moon. The water was inky black and the foam was pearly white. Both beautiful and terrifying. How was she going to get out of this?

Jonah replaced the man at her side and waved them away. The men repositioned themselves at the top of the stairs, blocking the only exit.

“Well darling…” Jonah’s voice faded to the back of her mind. The thread pulled her attention back towards the water. Her headache faded. He was here. No!

_You need to leave now! They can’t know about you!_

Instead of a response, only a wave of anger crashed over her. His anger, not hers.

_They’ll use me to get to you, I’ll find you again later._

His thoughts entered her mind.

_She needed him. Now, more than ever. She was in danger, her fear apparent from across the ocean. No creature could tell him what to do, not even her._

The cocking of a gun ripped her from the trance. Without turning her head, her eyes slid over to see the barrel of a gun pointing at her ear.

“Call him out.” Jonah’s voice was slow.

Everything stopped, becoming a blur around her. She was going to die. It was over. Nothing. A man she just met would end her life in a moment. Everything she worked for, everything she wanted, she would never have. She would never see anyone again, not her classmates, not her mom, not Mi Sun.

Her body shook. Breathing became impossible. She was on the ground. “I w—want to g—o home.”

Jonah was kneeling beside her, gun still there, pointed at her head. Her face was in her hands as she sobbed.

“I’m going to count to three, and if I don’t see Godzilla, you’re going to die, understand darling?”

“I—I—”

“One.”

_She was in danger._

“Control, I c—can’t!”

_Looked into the eyes of death._

“Two.”

This was it. It was the end. This man was going to murder her. She would never see the light of day.

She let out a wail.

_He would protect her._

“Three.” Jonah’s finger moved on the trigger.

“I don’t want to die!”

A roar came from the ocean completely overwhelming her scream. The darkness of her eyelids lit up with blue.

She opened her eyes to Godzilla rising out of the water. Dorsal plates flashing brightly enough to light up the night sky.

Why? Why was he here? Why did he protect her?

Beside her, Jonah lowered his gun. “See, now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

She was ready to spit in his face, but Godzilla’s earth shaking steps forced them both to behold him instead. He was coming towards the land. His eyes zeroed in on her and Jonah.

They weren’t amber though. They were blue. Like the first time she saw him in the water. Terrifying. He let out another roar, deeper than the last.

“Ready the weapon,” Jonah said into a radio, somehow unfazed by the gigantic monster headed straight for him.

What weapon?

A loud hydraulic noise came from the factory behind them. Amara swivelled around to see a huge turret gun raise onto the roof of the building. She turned back to Jonah.

Jonah pulled her up by the arm and didn’t let go. “Tell him to stop.”

Godzilla moved closer step by step. Knee deep in ocean water.

If she told Godzilla to stop, it would prove to Jonah she could communicate with him. But if she didn’t, he would be shot with that massive gun. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt hi though. She’d see videos of him being shot at before and barely affected by it. Then again, his gills were a known weak spot. What if they aimed there?

What if they injured him?

Killed him?

He was only here because of her. If something happened to him, it would be her fault.

_Leave. You proved your point. Now go. I’ll be okay!_

Godzilla did not stop his approach. Instead he flexed his claws and bared his fangs. A deep growl vibrated the earth.

_She was scared and confused, aware of the danger around yet she dared send him away when she needed him most. He could hear her thoughts as clearly as she could his. She could not fool him._

“Look’s like we’ll have to do this the hard way, then.” Jonah raised his pistol.

_Leave, or he’ll kill me! Please, just leave! They can’t know that we can speak to each other._

Finally Godzilla stopped. He was towering over them now, just ankle deep in the water. Glaring down at her and Jonah with glowing eyes.

He looked back up towards the building at the gun pointed at him. Then to the surrounding area. Amara followed his gaze. Men were all over the beach, guns at the ready.

“Send him back into the water.”

Amara’s eyes snapped back to the man. Godzilla’s did as well, almost as if he too, heard him.

_This puny creature dares command her under threat of her life? Unacceptable. Was she not able to free herself from him?_

_I can’t. He has a gun, he’ll shoot me. Just go. It’s the only way._

_He would not take orders. It was her that had to leave. He had seen her escape before. He would distract them._

Amara glanced down at Jonah’s hand on her arm and then back up to Godzilla. It better be one hell of a distraction.

A hum filled the air. It pulsed like a heartbeat slowing getting higher pitched. His spines glowed brighter and brighter with each pulse. The air buzzed with an unknown energy, making the hairs stand up on her arms.

Wait. Was he about to…

“TAKE COVER!” one of the men yelled from below.

More hollering sounded from below as men lost their composer and began to scatter. Godzilla’s chest puffed out and his head poised back. His eyes glowed the same intense blue that spilled from in between his teeth.

Would his atomic breath kill her too? She’d seen how it leveled buildings and vaporised cities. 

Godzilla opened his mouth, the glow brightly burning from inside his throat.

Godzilla was about to kill everyone there. Even her.

“Stop!” she screamed as he was about to exhale.

His jaw snapped shut before he aimed his head towards the sky and let out a blast of blue energy so bright it burned her eyes. Clouds swirled around the atomic energy.

Heat hit her like a wall, physically pushing her back. So intense it threatened to burn her skin. Was this the power of Godzilla?

Oh yes, the distraction. Sure enough, Jonah was focused on Godzilla. His grip was loose on her arm and his other hand was over his eyes, the gun still loosely clutched in it. If she had a chance, this was it.

Maybe it was Godzilla’s encouragement or maybe it was the adrenaline, but this time she didn’t freeze. She hooked a leg behind Jonah’s and tripped him. As he fell, she went for the gun, only able to slap it out of his hand as she fell on top of him.

Jonah landed hard on his back with their combined weight. She sprung back up and fled towards the stairs before he could recover. The guard was still there, now at the base of the steps. Still running full speed, she grabbed onto the railing on either side of the stairs and used the momentum to propel her legs forward. Her feet made contact with the man’s stomach, sending him tumbling back to the ground. She jumped over him.

Godzilla ended his breath, and with it, the intense light and heat. The change of lighting blinded her as she ran towards the factory. She slammed hard into something. No, someone. They grabbed her shoulders, their fingers digging into her skin.

Without a second thought, she brought her leg up in between his own. Her shin came into contact with something hard, but it was still enough to loosen his grip. In another motion, she kicked him in the stomach, this time successfully pushing him off her.

Godzilla let out an enraged roar, and the earth shook as he resumed his approach.

Jonah’s voice rung over the thundering steps. “Shoot him!”

The huge gun on the roof came to life, charging up like it was about to release its own atomic blast.

She spun back towards the water. If Godzilla knew about the gun about to shoot him, he didn’t acknowledge it. His glowing eyes were fixed on Jonah.

Amara squeezed her eyes shut. _They’re going to shoot—_

A flash of green light like a lightning bolt steaked through the sky over her head and into Godzilla’s chest. He let out a roar of pain and stumbled back into the water.

Pain like no other consumed her torso. Burning like she was lit on fire from the inside out. She fell in a heap unable to do anything else but try to breath. D—did someone shoot her?

There was no blood. No nothing.

Curled up on the ground, hands clutching her sides, she looked back out to Godzilla. He was hunched over, unmoving. Smoke billowing from his chest. The smell of burnt flesh reached her nose.

Was she feeling the same pain as him? Was this the connection they had?

The pain began to subside, replacing itself with a deep anger. Pure rage. How dare they shoot him!

Godzilla roared. His dorsal plates growing brighter.

_She had to take cover. Quickly. He would end this. End them._

Amara stumbled back onto her feet. _Where?_

_Close to the water. Close to him. In the rocks._

Following the titan’s command, she made a dash for the beach. She clutched her chest where the pain continued to burn. She passed the helicopter pad where Jonah was barking commands over the radio. From what she could tell, they still had a minute before the gun could fire again.

When she glanced up at him, their eyes met and he dropped the radio. Faster than anything she’d seen before, he pulled out his pistol and aimed it at her.

A bang rang through her ears and she blindly dove behind a rock. Something hit her arm. She grabbed it as she lay in the coarse sand. Liquid oozed from it, warm and thick. Then the stinging started.

Godzilla let out a growl at the same time, the blue of his back flicking. His eyes glancing down at his arm. He’d felt it too. Her pain.

_Who dare attack her? He would kill all these creatures, no matter how insignificant they were to him._

Amara used the rock she hid behind to steady herself as she got back to her feet. Just up ahead, water splashed against a sheltered outcrop. It was her best bet.

How much time did they have before the gun would shoot again?

_Hurry._

Amara let out a squawk of pain. “I am!”

_Faster._

Both the sound of the gun charging, and the hum of Godzilla’s inevitable blast clashed through the air. She had to get to shelter so Godzilla could destroy the gun before it shot him again. Or before he had second thoughts and attacked anyways which would probably vaporize her without shelter.

The gun fired just as she crawled into the shallow cave. Godzilla released his atomic breath. Heat blasted her face and the cave became unbearably hot. The green lightning hit Godzilla’s chest only for a second before stopping. Though she could not see, the distant sound of explosions rocked the earth. Godzilla must have destroyed the entire building.

Godzilla fell forward, catching himself with his massive claws. At the same time, Amara doubled over. Fire once again eating her from the inside out. She heaved until the taste of bile filled her mouth and dribbled onto the sand. Her limbs shook but she didn’t fall over. She just had to breath through the pain.

Godzilla, however, roared and let out another blast of energy on all fours. And another. Gunshots hit his hide like sparks. He took the weight off his front claws, slowly coming back to a stand, still releasing atomic blast after atomic blast. At this rate, there would be no island left.

“Godzilla, stop,” she wheezed. She couldn’t yell if she tried.

His anger bubbled inside her as he roared in defiance and attacked again.

Amara closed her eyes and inhaled as deeply as she could through her nose. After holding it for a moment, she let it out through her mouth, shaky but strong. If she could feel his rage, maybe that meant she could calm him by calming herself.

She repeated another breath. _Think of only my breathing._

Godzilla stopped his attack. But his body was tense, anger clear on his face.

She continued breathing.

His face relaxed into his usual glare, his lips settling back over his fangs. His shoulders drooped and his posture slacked.

The sound of the crashing waves was all that was left. No voices, no growling, no guns. The crescent moon was obscured by clouds as rain began to fall.

It would have been peaceful if it weren’t for the burning smell and the yellow glow of a fire reflecting off Godzilla’s scales. No one could have survived that.

Godzilla tilted his head down. Though she was nothing more than a speck to him, he always knew where she was.

_She was bright, like a beckon in the darkness._

“Oh.” Was his vision different than hers?

Godzilla lumbered closer to her. He leaned down until a claw landed in the water, then another. Still he lowered himself further until his head was just outside of the cave opening, an amber eye peering at her. Water splashed at her feet as his chin landed in the shallows.

His nostrils flared as he let out a long breath, his muscles deflated, and his jaw sunk further into the water until it splashed at his teeth.

Amara sat back against the rocks, strangely relaxed by Godzilla’s presence.

_Am I going to die of radiation sickness now? From your atomic breath?_

He let out a low, whale like moan. _Is that what they called his power? No, it would not kill her. He had already reabsorbed the harmful radiation it released._

His eye drooped slowly before finally closing.

He was going to sleep? Maybe that was the best option, sleeping though the pain. Her arm stung and her chest burned. It looked like the bullet just grazed her arm. Still, a chunk of skin was missing, and it was still bleeding. Hopefully not enough to die of blood loss through the night.

How was she going to get out of here now? Other than the tropical climate, there was no way to know where she was. Did Jonah escape? Was he looking for her? Would she be stuck here until she died?

A growl rattled the cave and Godzilla’s eye opened ever so slightly. _Be quiet._

But she wasn’t saying…Oh, her thoughts.

_If she went to sleep, he would heal her. She could think after the sun rose._

Amara nodded at the creature. “Alright,” she mumbled.

She slumped down onto the gritty sand on her good side. Godzilla closed his eyes and so did she.

Not like anyone or anything could get past the king of the monsters anyway.


	10. Whyley

_Humans. As a species, their communication was unmatched. As far as giving themselves different names, each unique to its owner._

_One had once given him a name. Even now, some still called him by it. They passed knowledge through voice rather than instinct. Both a strength and a weakness._

_They were out of touch with the earth, choosing at whim which species to call friend and which to call foe. Perhaps they couldn’t decide._

_Some even ventured into the ocean with auras of curiosity and wonder towards its inhabitants. Some with murderous intent._

_And some, fear._

_It was to them that he made himself known. They attacked, wonder masked by fear. They awoke him from his slumber in the depths. The strange inanimate things they created had changed much since he last swam. Like them, he too was curious. Never had his energy source been contained in a single object._

_The pressure of the darkness diminished as he rose towards the light. The material was hard but thin, easy to pierce. He swallowed the object, but it did little to feed him. Energy was better absorbed through his body from the outside in. It was not a viable source. More was needed._

Everything hurt.

A groan escaped her lips. Course sand dug into her cheek. Her hand was numb from being tucked under her head. Her forearm itched and her chest ached.

Waves broke against the shore. Cold water splashed at her feet. Something deep and low thrummed steadily around her, bouncing off the walls. A heartbeat?

Godzilla!

Amara bolted upright, swivelling her neck towards the mouth of the cave. Sure enough, the titan’s massive head lay in the water, right side facing her. His eyes were closed, and at first glace looked like an ancient statue, water splashing against his pointed teeth.

The only discernible movement was the subtle flare of his nostrils with each slow breath. And of course, there was the steady rhythm of his heartbeat just audible over the crashing waves. 

She tilted her head back and forth, a crack sounding on either side.

The events of last night played through her mind like a distorted video. Some details vivid, and some a complete blur. Kidnapped by men, interrogated by Alan Jonah of all people, threatened, and shot at.

She looked down at the torn fabric of her bloodstained sleeve. The exposed flesh under it was scabbed over, looking not much worse than a scrape. She lifted her gaze back towards the sleeping giant. He really could heal…

A guttural grunt filled the air. Slowly, Godzilla’s visible eye opened. He peered at her.

_Noisy human._

“What, not a morning person?”

_Not a person._

“You know what I mean. Or at least…maybe you do?”

_She still doubted his intelligence? Simple minded. Naïve human._

The water shifted, Godzilla’s neck flexed as he lifted his body from the water. She was struck by vertigo as his missive head rose.

Then pain. Searing, burning, itching pain consumed her chest. At the same time, Godzilla let out a wail and fell back into the ocean. Amara was pushed back into the cave when she was a hit by a wall of water. She spit out the salty liquid that splashed into her mouth.

“What the hell was that gun?” she asked through clenched teeth.

_He’d felt pain like this only once before. The last time humans attacked him while he fought Ghidorah in the ocean. Perhaps they intended to kill Ghidorah, perhaps they intended to kill them both. Humanity was unable to decide him friend or foe non the less._

Amara pushed her thoughts of the government’s most recent decision to the back of her mind. Who knew how Godzilla would react to that.

“Maybe whatever this connection is, we can use it to help them decide.”

_What about him?_

Amara absently rubbed her chest where the pain was fading. “What about you?”

_He had yet to decide where he stood with humans._

He…he had yet to decide if he liked humans or not? There had been speculation about it for years, but hearing it from Godzilla himself was…disconcerting.

Still, Godzilla was on the side of nature. And humans were destroying that, even at this very moment. Godzilla and humanity were on opposing sides. One of Monarch’s lead scientists that had died during the Mass Awakening called Godzilla a balancing force. It was an accepted fact by many, Jonah included. Though Jonah seemed to think Godzilla wasn’t doing a good enough job on his own.

Would Godzilla turn on humans?

And if they were such opposite forces, why was she, a human, connected to Godzilla?

Mi Sun said it was an opportunity to protect him from humans. But maybe it was also a way to protect humans from Godzilla.

_She thinks this connection will do anything other than make their lives more difficult? How would she convince others of its legitimacy if she herself took so long to believe it? And even if she were to, it would just make her a bigger target. A greater weakness. Was this situation not very proof of that?_

“I know that!”

Not like she was going to march up to the government and announce she could hear Godzilla’s thoughts. Best case they would laugh her off, worse case the media would catch wind and she’d be the laughing stock of the country.

And if she were to prove it by getting him to do something, it would just be a repeat of this situation.

Mi Sun’s plan was their only option. Thank god for that woman’s brilliance. She figured out a way to use Amara and Godzilla’s connection to aid other, more concrete ways to prove his benevolence…or seeing how he was also on the fence, at least stop a war.

One wrong move from either party could spell disaster, even without Jonah’s interference. And now she of all people was in the middle of it. It was somehow her responsibility to maintain peace between humans and Godzilla.

Maybe if Mi Sun didn’t convince her to come back, none of this would have happened. Maybe staying away would have broken whatever bond this was, and both of them could have gone their separate ways.

_The bond would not break. No matter how much either of them wanted. Only pain resulted in ignoring it. Fighting it was a bad idea. Disorienting, painful, like loosing a part of oneself._

Amara looked the titan in the eye. He was awfully knowledgeable about this subject. “Have you had a connection with someone before?”

Silence.

“Have you?”

_No._

Amara looked at the titan. If he’d never had a connection before, then how did he know so much? How did he know that it hurt? Maybe he tried to cut her off without her knowledge? Surely, she would have felt it though—

A noise cut through the sound of the crashing waves. Loud and all too familiar at this point. The buzz of an engine and rotors cutting though the air.

Her body stiffened. Who was it? Was Jonah back for her? To finish the job and kill Godzilla? Kill her?

Unlike her, Godzilla let out a groan and once again began to lift himself out of the water. Pain burned her chest, stinging like a thousand bees. Still, Godzilla rose. His arms somehow supporting his enormous torso.

Like a fortress, he stood on two legs, staggering back a step. The action was slow, but the earth still rumbled at the clumsy footfall. The dark grey scales on his chest were marred with black, burned and scarred, individual scales melted into each other.

He stood still. Amara could not move either. Even breathing stretched the charred skin after so much movement. All they could do was wait for the pain to die down.

If Godzilla was leaving, that was a bad sign, right? More of Jonah’s backup?

_There were not bad. She needed to go with her kind._

How did he know that they weren’t bad?

The itching, burning pain lessened and Godzilla turned his back to the shore.

_He could sense their intentions._

He waded in deeper and dove under. His tail splashing in last, like a whip.

Godzilla’s absence was…strange. Her security blanket, gone. He was still there in her conscience, but the string stretched thin as he swam further away from shore. Did he have to go so far out?

_They are good. Go to them._

The thought was reassuring. It was enough to raise her to her feet despite shaky legs. She steadied herself with a hand on the rocky wall.

Could Godzilla actually sense their intentions? The thought was confident. He knew they were good, beyond a doubt. It was an incredible combination; both intelligence and instinct. It should have been obvious to her early on, how else did he survive for millions of years?

Well other than his indestructible body.

Water lapped at her ankles as she exited the cave. The tide had come in a fair bit from the night before, thankfully not enough wash her away while she slept that night.

Ahead of her was the helipad she had been held at gunpoint. On it was a military helicopter, rotors just beginning to slow. Behind it on the grass was another one. Men in uniform filed out of the siding doors, guns strapped to their backs.

The factory was reduced to a pile of rubble, smoke still billowing out from between broken slabs of concrete and brick. Any trace of the massive gun hidden within the debris.

She took a step off the coarse sand onto the wispy grass. She looked down at her foot. When had she lost a shoe? Maybe a better question was how she maintained the other.

As she lifted her gaze back up, her eyes met a solider standing still, facing her. Tall and lanky despite the gear he wore. They stared at each other for a moment.

No. It couldn’t be.

Whatever trance the man was in, he snapped out of it. He paced over to her, even his stride was familiar. His face became clear. One brown eye, one blue.

It was him. Of all people.

Whyley.

Was it a coincidence he was here? Unlikely. He had something to do with this. It was probably him that landed her here in the first place. The only one other than Mi Sun to believe she could communicate with Godzilla. It was him. It had to be him.

Amara squared her shoulders. A fight was the last thing on her mind. Her body felt more like a bag of bricks than a weapon to use against a fully armed soldier. Hopefully he would remember to keep his hands off her. For his sake.

He stopped not far from her. But kept his distance. His eyes flickered over her, most likely taking in her wet and dishevelled state. If he meant to hide his confusion, he did a poor job. Finally, his gaze wandered back to meet hers.

“It’s you.” Was all that escaped his mouth.

Was his disbelieving tone do to the fact she was here, or the fact that she survived? Had he come here with the sole intention of finding her, or finding Godzilla?

He was a titan sympathiser. Something he didn’t hide the slightest. But if what she thought was true…why would he help them bring her here?

They stood once again in silence. Amara offering no response.

“Come on, follow me,” he said, nodding his head back over his shoulder before turning around.

Amara followed, keeping a fairly large gap between them. Other men took notice as they walked past. Their attention was fleeting before turning back to what they were doing. Searching for other survivors, perhaps?

Whyley led her though a patch of fresh dirt. The soil was cold between the toes of her bare foot. It was still loose as if it had been freshly dug up. She quickened her pace forward towards the grass.

They approached a newly erected tent where a man with black and grey hair and ebony eyes stood outside. He made eye contact with her and paced towards them.

“Well would you look at that. Whyley, where did you find her? Are there more?”

“No, Colonel Gondo, she’s the only one so far.”

Colonel Gondo nodded tersely at Whyley before turning to her, his expression softening into a friendly one. “And what’s your name, little missy?”

It took a second for Amara to regain her mental balance. “A-Amara.”

For some reason she didn’t want to say her last name in front of Whyley.

“Amara,” he echoed softly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Goro Gondo.” He stepped closer and wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders. “Come sit down and I’ll get you some water.”

Amara allowed the colonel to lead her into the tent. Unlike Jonah, this man’s kindness was sincere. Or maybe she was just being a naïve idiot. 

No, no! Godzilla said they were good, and she trusted him...for some reason. Well, they could feel each others pain, so there was that reason.

But then there was Whyley. Did that mean he was good as well? Was the group good as a whole, or could Godzilla sift though each and every one’s intentions?

Colonel Gondo sat her in a chair across from a folding table. He produced a water bottle and tinfoil looking blanket out of a olive drab container along the wall of the tent. He passed her the water and draped the sheet around her shoulders. It was surprising nice as it blocked the cool draft from the open tarp flaps. 

“May I ask you some questions?” he asked, sitting down across from her.

Amara twisted the cap off the water bottle and took a sip, replacing the cap afterwards. “Sure.”

Not like she had a choice. Another interrogation.

“Do you live around here?”

Here? Where even was here? “No. I, uh, don’t actually know were we are right now.”

Colonel Gondo scribbled something on the paper in front of him before answering. “We’re in Costa Rica. Do you know how you got here?”

“Yeah, some guys broke into my friend’s condo and kidnapped me. They brought me here.”

She was well aware of Whyley’s presence just outside the tent. Most likely listening in.

The colonel’s brows shot up on his wrinkled forehead. “Well this situation isn’t quite what I was expecting it to be.” He leaned back in his chair. “Whyley,” he called. “Get Brody and Adams in here, will you son?”

Amara turned back in her chair to see Whyley give a curt nod and head out towards the others. She turned back to the colonel who was writing down something else.

“Amara, do you know anything about the group that was here? Were they locals?”

“No. I was sat directly in front of Alan Jonah—”

“Damn it, I should have known this was him,” Colonel Gondo hissed. “I swear whenever Godzilla attacks it’s because of that man.”

He let out a long exhale but regained his composure as two men entered the tent. One tall with bright blue eyes and a strong jaw. The other shorter with brown eyes and tan skin. Whyley remained outside.

“Amara, this is Ford Brody and Jeremy Adams.” Amara exchanged greetings with the men as he spoke. “She believes Jonah is behind this.” He focused back on her. “Now Amara, could you tell us everything from the start?”

What was she supposed to tell them? That Whyley was right and that she could talk to Godzilla? They would either believe her somehow and do god knows what to her, or think she was a lunatic and send her for a phycologist.

But if she left that out, why would they have kidnapped her in the first place? Colonel Gondo would just think she was making up some half ass story and that she was a part of Jonah’s group, possibly the worst outcome of them all.

When Whyley first accused her of speaking to Godzilla, he sounded crazy to her. Maybe the colonel would have the same reaction if she told them that’s what Jonah believed as well.

So that’s what she did. She explained in as much detail as possible, starting from the two that kidnapped her, calling themselves A. and D.. She told them how she was interrogated by Alan Jonah himself based on the fact she’d been at the same place at the same time as Godzilla when he was by Vancouver Island.

“I mean, who says Godzilla was following me? If Jonah’s men were there as well, who says he’s not following them? It was because of them that Ghidorah was awoken, so why wouldn’t he want to track them down to stop them if he had the ability?”

“They brought her here because they thought Godzilla is following her? Are they nuts?” The one named Brody shook his head. The other had a similar look of disbelief on his face.

Colonel Gondo sent them a look that quickly ended their behaviour. “Continue, Amara.”

She did. Telling him about Jonah taking her outside, Godzilla showing up and the massive gun on top of the building. How Godzilla used his atomic breath as a warning and that Jonah attacked him first. Then how she hid in a cave to avoid the intense heat of Godzilla’s atomic breath.

Colonel Gondo and the men were especially interested in the gun. “What type of gun was it? Did you see bullets or a blast?”

“It shot out green light. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Brody and Adams exchanged a look.

“It’s true!” she addressed them directly. She wasn’t crazy. It had been green, she was sure of it.

Colonel Gondo cleared his throat. Amara leaned back in her chair and the soldiers regained their composure. “So, you believe Jonah’s intention was to kill Godzilla?”

“No. I Think Jonah’s intention is to make Godzilla into the bad guy. Ghidorah didn’t wipe out humanity like he wanted, so now Jonah’s trying to get Godzilla to do it instead. He’s making us look like the enemy.”

The statement was true enough based on what she witnessed. They didn’t need to know that Jonah intended for her to control Godzilla to wipe out man kind.

“Well it’s working. The media will be here any minute. Public opinion is already falling out of favor with the titans based on Godzilla’s recent behaviour changes. This will definitely put the nail in the coffin. Bad guys or not, an attack is an attack when it comes from a monster who doesn’t know any better.”

Amara leaned forward. “You don’t believe that, do you? Surely you think Godzilla is more intelligent than that?”

The colonel shook his head and folded his hands on the table. “We have no proof of it. All we know is that he’s been acting strangely and now aggressively towards humans. First, he came very close to the coast of Vancouver Island, then so much as coming out of the water on an empty beach. Just the other day we had reports of possible sightings off the coast of California, and now he used his atomic breath on humans directly. If the pattern continues, its not looking good for us.”

Her throat went dry. “You’re…actually going to kill him.”

“You’ve seen his power first hand. There’s no way anything good can come from a creature like that.”

“But he killed Ghidorah and saved us—”

“It has been proven that Godzilla and Ghidorah had an ancient rivalry. The MUTO’s as well. It has nothing to do with saving us.”

Amara floundered like a fish out of water. It was like arguing with her past self. How could she have ever been so ignorant?

“There’s still time,” he continued. “Not much, but some. If Godzilla’s behaviour changes back to how it was, or someone is able to prove his motives for his recent actions, the government will take it into consideration.”

She sat back in her chair. Little did he know, she was the one who was going to do it.

…

By the time Colonel Gondo finished asking her questions, her cloths were almost dry and the tent became too warm to wear the foil blanket.

Whyley was once again in charge of taking her to her next destination; another tent. This one was close to the helipad. She sat in a chair as a female medic looked over her, shining a light in her eyes and taking in the wound on her arm. Amara explained she was grazed by a bullet and the medic told her she was very lucky.

Shortly after Amara was given the okay by the medic who then left, Whyley came into the tent from wherever he went.

“I believe this is yours.” He threw a tattered sandal into her lap.

“Thanks,” she replied, bending over to put the shoe back on. 

Once she secured it back on her ankle, she sat back up. Whyley was still there. Just…staring at her. “What?”

“Why did you call Godzilla to them?”

Amara crossed her arms across her chest. “I didn’t call Godzilla, he just came.”

“Your actions could have gotten him killed. Jonah isn’t someone you can mess with.”

Gotten Godzilla killed? Did Whyley even know what Godzilla was capable of? And then blaming it on her? What was his problem? Jonah attacked Godzilla first, there was nothing she could have done about that. She switched topics.

“What was that gun?”

“You should have made him stay away.”

He was avoiding the question. Just like the colonel had.

“I can’t control him.” How many times did she have to say it?

“Why did you provoke him? Jonah wouldn’t have been forced to shoot him if he didn’t attack first.”

“He didn’t attack first. What was that gun?” she asked again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Time to try something else. Make him slip up.

“Did anyone get away?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Can’t,” she repeated, “or won’t?”

Whyley’s eyes narrowed. Amara matched his stare. She wasn’t backing down either. Non of this was her fault. If anything, it was his.

He was W. that Jonah’s men were talking about. He had to be.

But to blame the events on her? He had her brought here specifically to lure Godzilla, what did he think was going to happen? She would just let Jonah have his way? She wouldn’t let herself be a puppet, and neither would Godzilla. Of course an encounter would end badly.

Stuipd, stupid boy.

Whyley broke eye contact first, turning his head towards another solider passing by. Amara only glared into the side of his face instead.

He was a spy then, wasn’t he? He had the perfect job for it too, working with the UN Titan Defence Alliance or whatever it was called. Who even knew who they were defending? Man, or Titan? It was probably vague on purpose so they could pick and choose as the situation arose.

Whyley exchanged words with the other solider, but Amara didn’t catch what they were. She had been too busy glaring holes into his cheek.

Apparently unaffected by her gaze, he nodded at her. “Your ride’s ready, come on.”

“Ride where?”

“To the nearest airport, then to wherever you came from.”

Oh, he knew exactly where she came from.

“How am I supposed to get home? I don’t have any money or my phone.”

“We’ve already arranged your flight back to Victoria.”

They were just going to send her back home after everything? It was a good thing, of course. Just unexpected.

“But all my stuff is in California, can I go there instead?”

Whyley rolled his eyes. “I’ll ask,” he said and turned to leave.

“Wait, can I use your phone? I need to make a call.”

Whyley paused mid step. His shoulders tensed, then relaxed. He turned around and pulled a cellphone out of his pocket, typed in the password and tossed it to her. “Make it quick.”

Amara clumsily caught it with two hands. “Thanks,” she muttered as he turned to leave. He didn’t respond.

Looking back at the phone in her hand, the bright display showed a picture of a family. Whyley was easy to pick out despite his much younger appearance thanks to his mismatched eyes. He had his arm around an older girl, eyes matching his brown one. Clearly his older sister. Behind them was a man and a woman. The man had blue eyes and the same shade of sandy blond hair as Whyley. The woman was thin and had a huge smile, dark hair and light eyes. All and all, a happy family.

Amara dialed one of the few phone numbers she had memorized. It rang almost five times before someone answered.

“Hello, Dr. Park,” said a rather distressed voice over the phone.

“Mi Sun!” The name flew out of her mouth without a second of hesitation.

“Amara? Is that you?” The phone crackled at the sudden volume change.

Amara nodded her head, loose hair falling into her face. “Yeah it’s me.”

“W—what happened? I saw the bags by the door. I tried calling, but your phone was there too. I looked all over—thought it was a joke or something. Where are you?”

Amara gave her surroundings a quick once over. No one looked to be in earshot.

“Some people found out about my…Godzilla situation. I’m okay though.” Outside, she picked out the from of Whyley making his way back towards her. Mi Sun was saying something, but Amara cut her off. “They’re going to fly me back, hopefully to California. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“What, when—”

“I’ve got to go, bye.” Amara hung up the phone as Whyley entered.

She held out the phone to him. He took it back from her and only gave it a glance before returning it to his pocket.

He wasn’t at all curious about who she had called or what she said?

“I couldn’t get your flight changed, sorry.”

How was she supposed to get home from the flight? Her place was almost an hour away from the airport, she had no ride, no phone to call for a ride, no money to use a pay phone.

It was because of him she was here, and that’s all he had to say? Sorry?

She slumped her shoulders. “That’s alright.”

Whyley stood awkwardly in front of her, his lips thin. Amara didn’t look at him, her eyes wandering to the people in uniform outside.

Motion from out of the corner of her eye brought her attention back to Whyley. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a worn leather wallet. From it, he produced five twenty-dollar bills. He handed them to her.

“Hopefully this covers a taxi and food.”

Wait. Was this for real? Maybe he did feel bad about what he did. One second blaming her for Jonah’s attack, the next apologizing and giving her money. He wouldn’t say he was involved outright, but he sure wasn’t good at denying it either.

He pocketed the wallet. “Let’s go, they’re waiting.”

Amara walked a few steps behind him, eyes boring into his back.

Her ride turned out to be one of the Helicopters stationed on the grass. The rotors thrummed through the air as the pilot started the motor.

She covered her eyes as the wind picked up, dust flying at her. Whyley pointed to a seat inside. She sat down in it. Whyley did up the harness around her.

Instead of sitting down himself as she expected, he stepped back down to the grass. He only watched with a straight face as the helicopter took off. She stared back until he was too small to see.

As she ascended, the still smoking pile of rubble came into view. That wasn’t what caught her eye though, rather the land around it. What was once a grassy plain, was now scarred with deep groves cutting deep into the dirt. Green grass was spaced between blackened earth. Trees behind the building smoldered, no evidence of leaves remained. The entire area, leveled.

Another place forever changed by Godzilla.


	11. Allies and Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support everyone!

Everywhere Amara turned, the news was playing: televisions, people’s phones, newspapers. Whispers of Godzilla scattered throughout passing conversations. People remarking how they’re not flying anywhere near the coast, and others regretting that they were.

Even as Amara walked out of the entrance of the Victoria airport, people buzzed about the news. She cracked her neck idly as she approached the taxi pick up area where two other women were standing.

“I recycle, why am I being punished just because I live near the ocean?” said the older woman.

The younger woman adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Right? It’s not fair. Too bad we can’t move all the environmentally friendly people to one place while Godzilla goes after the rest.”

It was nice to hear a conversation that wasn’t focused on wanting Godzilla dead. These women were at least aware of the human part of the problem.

The older woman’s brows rose. “Aren’t they already doing that with some island?”

“I’ve never heard of any island. Where’d you hear about this?” asked the other.

“I read an article the other day. Apparently, some rich people are getting together to buy an island that people can go to live completely off the grid.”

“Like, completely?”

“Yeah, crazy right? I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Yeah, me neither. Not like the titans would know any different if they did. I mean, Godzilla doesn’t seem to care who he attacks.” She shook her head. “Those poor people in Costa Rica.”

A cab pulled up and the two women got in, while continuing their conversation.

So the island was really happening. It was on the news a few times before, people rallying to have designated areas for people to live with zero environmental impact. Governments were in favor as well, but it was taking too long for things to come into fruition and some billionaires took it upon themselves instead.

But how many people would actually do it?

…

The ride home was nearly an hour thanks to construction traffic. The Taxi driver was mostly silent, instead listening to the radio broadcast of the government’s latest plans to “humanely” put down Godzilla.

Like the women at the airport, the news mentioned nothing about the building in Costa Rica being a secret base for a terrorist organization. No, they left it vague, not knowing for themselves and assuming it was populated by innocent locals.

Couldn’t the military say anything to the media to stop this? Even if they didn’t tell the complete truth, they could at least say the were no locals specifically. No, they were content with letting the media run ramped with assumptions and accusations. Even Monarch wasn’t saying anything. Although it was unclear if that was because they didn’t want to, or they weren’t able to.

The worst part was that it was her fault. If she hadn’t had this strange connection to Godzilla, he would have stayed deep underwater, out of humanity’s reach.

If she hadn’t gone out on that boat, would their minds ever have connected? It must have been the close distance that caused it. But…why her? Were their minds compatible for some reason? Was it completely random? Would he have connected with someone else eventually if she didn’t?

Fate? Coincidence?

Then there were the other titans. If she got close to them, would they connect with her as well?

But no one could answer any of these questions. Even if there were others like her, they wouldn’t come forward. It was unnatural, impossible for the general public to believe. And if they were to prove their connection, then they would become nothing more than science experiments with targets on their backs.

If the government found out that Godzilla felt her pain, it would save them a lot of trouble when it came to killing him. Would they go as far as to kill her if only to find out?

“You know, all this news about Godzilla and not a single person has said a thing about Mothra.”

Amara turned away from the window and towards the back of the taxi driver’s head. “Why, what’s going on with Mothra?”

“Her egg hatched yesterday back in China.” The man’s eyes met hers in the rear-view mirror.

“After three months? Didn’t her previous egg take centuries to hatch?”

“They were saying she was dormant, you know, waiting for the right time to hatch.”

Waiting for the right time? Did Godzilla’s attack trigger her? Did she know he would need her soon?

“That might not be a good sign.”

“You’re telling me. Last time she hatched was because of Monster Zero. Probably more going on than the government is telling us.” He shook his head. “As per usual.”

Wait, no. He was wrong about that.

Amara shifted in the worn fabric seat. “Didn’t she hatch before Ghidorah was awakened?”

“Probably new something was going down before we did.”

“You believe that?”

The driver’s eyes met hers again in the rear-view mirror. “Believe what? That the Queen of the Monsters knows more than us? Of course.”

…

The elevator door let out a ding as it opened to Amara’s floor. Had only a week past since she was last here, or a lifetime? Even the scent of the apartment building stood out to her desensitized nose. Her worn sandals clicked against the laminate as she approached her door.

The landlord was nice enough to give her the spare key to her apartment with little more convincing than her appearance alone.

Instead of putting the key in, she gave the door a push. Sure enough, the door swung open. The lock had been tampered with, just like Mi Sun’s.

Inside was more or less how she left it. Even if Jonah’s men had come and looked though her things, they were already a mess to begin with. Ruffled papers on her desk, bed, and couch. Clothes piled on the floor. Even her dishes were still spread on the coffee table, waiting for her to wash them.

Still, it was eerie. This wasn’t her mess anymore. Wasn’t her space. It was violated, no longer safe. Had it been the same two men that cornered her at Mi Sun’s home? How much did they go through? How much did they find?

She shut the door behind her. It clicked, but not fully. She latched the chain lock. If anything, it would slow them down.

Before anything else, she locked herself in the bathroom and took a shower. She changed into a skirt and baggy tee-shirt. Tucking it in as she always did.

Her foot steps were heavy as she collected the stray dishes around the apartment. One by one, she washed them and placed them on a towel on the counter.

What was going to happen now? No one would say if Jonah escaped. Had it even been possible for anyone to escape? Godzilla decimated the area, a living, breathing natural disaster. Yet, there was a chance he made it out. And if he survived…

The glass she was washing slipped out of her hand. A bang filled her ears as the glass landed in the sink. The tap still ran even as she stood there, hands frozen where she once held the glass.

Why did it have to sound so much like a gunshot?

Her gaze lingered between her hands and the broken glass.

Was Jonah behind her now? Ready to shoot her in the back? The thought of looking was terrifying. Her body wouldn’t move even if she wanted to. Her heartbeat so loud, it seemed to echo around the room.

She stood there, maybe for a few seconds, maybe a few hours. The sink was a blur of silver, the drone of the running water faded away.

She was the only one there. Alone, in an empty room. Even her mind was alone. Her thoughts, alone.

A tug.

The uncomfortable sensation filled her mind. Her hand flew up to her forehead, blinking back clear vision.

No thoughts came to her mind, but a presence. Ancient. It pulled at the thread, but she did not move. It pulled harder, almost painfully. Still, she stood her ground.

What did he want? If he had something to say, couldn’t he just say it? Why did he have to contently cause her pain?

The thread yanked so hard she stumbled into the counter. Still no thoughts entered her mind, but a feeling. Frustration.

What? It wasn’t her fault she didn’t know what he wanted.

But if she could feel his frustration, could he feel her anxiety?

She closed her eyes, as she normally did when trying to communicate with the titan. Before a thought could form in her mind to send to him, the black of her eyelids turned vibrant blue. No longer was she in her apartment. It was like her dreams, she was swimming below the surface of the water.

Through Godzilla’s eyes, the water was bright a clear. Warm and welcoming, as fresh as the air on a summer’s day.

It didn’t last long. The comforting feeling faded with the vision. When she opened her eyes, the thread gave a gentle pull.

This time, she followed.

Out the door and down the elevator. Outside the building, into the humid air and down the path.

The mild sunny weather drew out crowds of people to the beach. Chatter and shrieks of children rang out into the air. Some people walked along the beach, some sat alone in silent meditation, some laid in the sun. Artisans carved shapes into driftwood, kids played in the sand, and girls splashed in the lapping water.

Amara passed them, walking along the path until it ended. She continued onto the beach, the sand slipping between the soles of her feet and her sandals. The crowd thinned as she walked to a part less traveled.

It was there that she approached the shore. Cold water splashed at her toes. The thread pulled only slightly now, just enough to get her to go in deeper. When the water lapped at her skirt, she stopped. The tread still pulled. He wanted her to go in deeper.

Fine then.

Taking in a breath of air and squeezing her eyes shut, she dove under.

She floated there, taking in the muffled sound of the ocean. Slowly, she opened her eyes to a veil of hazy blue, nothing like Godzilla’s clear vision.

At first there were no discernible sounds, but then a hum, first low, then higher. Much like a whale.

But that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a whale, it was Godzilla. He was calling to her. Was he near?

_Far._

His response was simple but feeling conveyed more than the thought. He was deep, somewhere no human could ever find him. Somewhere where radiation would speed up his healing. In a tunnel of the hollow earth.

Was she actually hearing his call from such a distance, or was it all in her head?

She concentrated. _Why did you call me?_

_Her her feelings were unwelcome to him. Intense despite the distance._

So he could feel her emotions. But they were so far apart, how was that possible? Didn’t they have to be close to communicate? Was their connection growing stronger?

_I never wanted this either, you know. I can’t help that you can feel it._

A pang shot through her chest at her own words. It passed before she could make anything of it.

_If she felt this way, why did she not seek the comfort of her friend? It was what most creatures did, was it not?_

Was he referring to Mi Sun? She was the only friend that Godzilla knew about.

_Yes, that was the creature’s name. Mi Sun._

_Mi Sun isn’t a creature, she’s a hu—_

_And you are Amara._

Her mind froze. That thought was different than the rest. Not a passing one that she could pick up on, rather one aimed directly at her.

_Go to your friend, Amara. She will be there when I cannot._

Feeling returned to her body. Her lungs burned. She swam up to the surface, taking in gasps of air. How long had she been under?

She swam back to shallower water.

Godzilla’s words were oddly comforting. Sympathetic, possibly empathetic. He knew she felt alone and vulnerable. Was that why he called her? To see if she was alright?

No, that was unlikely. Just her human emotions bothering his peace and quiet.

She sat on a piece of driftwood while her clothing dried. The sun and the warm breeze made quick work of the thinner material of her top, and as soon as it was no longer see through, she headed back to the path.

By the time she arrived at her local bank, her skirt dried completely. She told the teller about her dilemma of leaving her things at a friends house and walked out with a new debit card.

Back at her building, she approached the landlord’s office. Thankfully, the man was still there.

He looked up at her with soft brown eyes. “You’re looking better, Amara. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if I could use your phone for a minute.” She crossed her arms, absently feeling for the gunshot wound that had since healed.

“Sure, here you go,” he said, handing it to her. “Just let me know if the other line rings while you’re using it.”

Amara nodded with a smile. “Thank you.”

She went into the lobby while the phone rang.

“Hello, Dr. Park. Speaking?”

“Hey Mi Sun, it’s Amara again. Sorry for—”

“Amara! You’d better tell me what’s going on this time!”

“Well…it’s hard to explain…” Her eyes wondered across the empty lobby.

“I’ve seen the news, so I probably know half of what happened. Where are you now? Are you alright?”

“I’m back home. But I want to come back to your place, if that’s alright with you?”

Mi Sun’s voice grew quiet. “You don’t have to, Amara. I can just send your stuff through the mail.”

“No, I mean I really want to. Godzilla needs us more than ever.” She took a breath. “And I feel safer when we’re together.”

Silence. Had she said something wrong? Was Mi Sun done with her drama? Not that she blamed her, helping Godzilla was turning out to be a lot harder than they originally anticipated.

A squeal from the other end of the line made Amara recoil and hold it away from her face. “Of course, Amara! Let me buy you a ticket for the next flight here.”

“Thank you, Mi Sun, but I’ve got it covered this time. Don’t think I’m going to make it back to start the fall semester anyway.”

“You’re using your student loan? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I think Godzilla is more important at this point. Without him, there may not be a reason to go to school anymore.”

The grin was evident though Mi Sun’s voice. “Spoken like a true scientist.”

…

Two days later, Amara was back at the California airport looking for Mi Sun’s Toyota—what ever it was called.

The sound of a rowdy, but muffled engine caught her attention. Sure enough, the silver SUV effortlessly parallel parked in-between two taxis. Mi Sun made driving look far too easy.

Mi Sun practically flew out of the vehicle towards Amara, embracing her. The Korean lady was shorter than her, but not by much.

Amara was asked a whirlwind of questions, only given time to answer one or two at most.

“We’re never splitting up again, I hope you know that.” The look on Mi Sun’s face was serious enough for Amara to believe it.

“Are we talking arm’s length, or line of sight type deal?”

Mi Sun broke her pursed lips with a grin. “Line of sight. But if _anything_ else happens, we’re using a rope.”

Amara got into the JDM Toyota. “I don’t even want to think about being tethered to anyone else.”

Mi Sun did up her seatbelt. “Tethered? To who—” She stopped herself. “Godzilla?”

Amara nodded. “Yeah. It’s like an invisible string stuck to my brain. He pulls me around with it when I don’t listen.”

There was a bit more to it than that, but she had enough explaining to do later.

“On the cliff, when you approached him, was he pulling you then?”

“Yeah. Because it’s easier to talk the closer we are. He pulled me out to the water two days ago, before I called you. We can talk from much longer distances underwater.”

Mi Sun gave her a sideways look as they pulled out onto the freeway. “He called you out to talk? About what?”

Amara turned her head towards her window. Car’s dotted the road. “My emotions were bothering him. He told me to go back to you.”

Mi Sun’s brows shot up, her eyes darting between Amara and the road. “He what now?”

“I know.”

“Self awareness, compassion, wisdom. He is truly sapient.”

“Yeah, and we’re in trouble because of it.”

Mi Sun looked at her, curious.

“He hasn’t decided if he’s on our side or not.” Amara faced the windshield so Mi Sun could better hear her. “All this time, we thought it was up to us to stop a war between humanity and the titans. Well, it turns out Godzilla hasn’t made up his mind either. Not that I blame him. He’s almost been killed by the military once and attacked multiple times. He knows we’re undecided accepting his existence, and he’s undecided on allowing ours to continue.”

“So we’re in the middle then.” Mi Sun shook her head. “I can’t believe it.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

They pulled into the underground parking lot. Amara stayed close to Mi Sun’s side all the way up to the room.

Mi Sun had her locks changed and an additional few added. She mentioned how the police came and did the original investigation, but some other men came a day later with FBI badges.

“Then I hear Godzilla attacked a factory in Central America for no apparent reason and then get a mysterious phone call from you.” Mi Sun passed Amara a cup of tea she’d just made and joined her on the small couch. “So now that we’re settled, care to explain?”

Amara had a sip of tea before she took a deep breath through her nose. Oh boy. This was going to be an interesting tale.

She started with the men who broke into Mi Sun’s apartment. Then the plane ride there, even telling her about how Godzilla was already on her trail. Then came the interrogation where she sat in front of Alan Jonah himself. How he intended to use her to control Godzilla for him.

Mi Sun asked a barrage of questions the moment Amara took a breath. After clarifying all the details, she continued, telling her about the beach—leaving out the part with the gun—and how Godzilla rose from the water, illuminating the dark sky with eerie blue. Then the green blast of the gun, the pain, and the following massacre as she hid in a cave.

The next morning was when she learned of Godzilla’s indecision about humankind shortly before the military showed up and he dove back into the ocean.

And then Whyley.

“The soldier you keep seeing?”

“Yeah him. It was his phone I called you on, and his money that got me home from the airport—”

“Awe, that’s sweet of him.”

Amara tucked her feet under herself. “No, he did it because he felt bad, or at least that’s what I think.”

Mi Sun quirked a brow. “Felt bad about your situation?”

“No.” Amara leaned in. “He’s a spy, I’m sure of it. He works for Jonah. The men on the plane mentioned a guy named ‘W’ who tipped them off about me and how I can communicate with Godzilla. Well, Whyley is the only one other than us who believes that, and therefore, I think it’s obvious.”

“He doesn’t sound like a very good spy. You could easily out him.”

“I won’t. He’s on Godzilla’s side.”

Mi Sun made a face. “Then why does he work for Jonah? He attacked Godzilla first.”

“Whyley is under the impression I made Godzilla attack first. He thinks I’m the bad guy and that I’m going to get Godzilla killed.”

“You told him you were trying to do the opposite, right?”

“No. I asked him about the gun Jonah used instead.”

Mi Sun sighed and put down her mug on the coffee table in front of the couch. “That could have been a good opportunity to make an ally.”

Amara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time I get kidnapped.”

Mi Sun reached out and took Amara’s free hand in hers. “Repeat after me: It’s not going to happen again.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Good.”

All in all, Mi Sun took her story surprisingly well. It probably had a lot to do with Amara telling her the watered down PG version.

Next on the agenda was Mi Sun’s plan to get into Monarch. In the last two days she’d been working on her research paper regarding Godzilla’s radiation.

“I also have reason to believe it’s his radiation that’s kickstarting life in various locations. Plant life in San Francisco is growing at nearly twice the expected rate, and his monitored territorial routes are showing signs of increased sea life.”

Amara took a sip of cool tea. “The whales feed off his radiation too. That’s why they were swimming around him. It helps their calves grow and cures illness.”

Mi Sun blinked. “And how long have you known this?”

“A while. But it was a dream. I didn’t know if it was real or not.”

“But you do now?”

Amara shrugged. “Yeah, I know they’re not really dreams now, I just hear his thoughts clearly when I sleep.”

Mi Sun grabbed at her worn notebook that was never far from her, a pen clipped to the rings. She wrote down what Amara just told her.

“Anything else I should know?” Mi Sun asked.

“I think you know everything else about his radiation.”

“Alright. I’ll have to add this to my paper tonight. I’m going to call Ilene tomorrow, I don’t think she’s in China yet.”

“China? Oh, because of Mothra?”

“Yeah, they’re trying to figure out why she hatched so soon. They’re worried it might mean something bad will happen. Hopefully it won’t interfere with our plan either.”

It seemed everyone was on edge thanks to Mothra. Did Godzilla know about what was going to happen? Did he know Mothra hatched? It was obvious they were friends. Burry footage came out not long after the battle of Boston depicting the massive moth intercepting a blast from Monster Zero. 

Some even speculated it was because of Mothra’s sacrifice that Godzilla could go into his burning state and kill Ghidorah.

She would have to ask him next time she had a chance.

“Maybe we’ll get to see her,” Amara said.

Mi Sun smirked. “Of all the titans, it’s a larva that you want to see?”

“More than a giant spider.”

Mi Sun hummed. “I wonder if she knows more than Godzilla. They say she was once worshipped as the goddess of rebirth.”

“I thought she was queen of the monsters.”

Mi Sun stood up and took Amara’s empty cup from her. “Queen of the monsters, goddess of rebirth. Maybe she’s fought along Godzilla’s side longer than we think.”


	12. Castle Bravo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support!!

_Dark. Breathing but not breathing._

_Seeing yet seeing nothing. Blinded by darkness. A kaleidoscope of nothing. All encompassing. All consuming._

_A thumping from inside. Inside what? A vessel._

_Limbs heavy. There, but unmoving. Unresponsive._

_The beat inside thrumming faster._

_Pain. Stretching. Growing. Expanding. Daggers from inside forcing themselves outwards._

_Awake but not awake._

**_Amara._ **

_Wake up._

…

Amara bolted upright, the sound of a knock on the door jarring her from her sleep. Sunlight flooded her eyes like a spotlight shining through darkness.

“Amara, are you awake yet? It’s half past nine and I have news.”

News? Oh yes, probably something to do with Monarch. The night before Mi Sun sent Ilene her paper on Godzilla’s radiation. She must have read it already.

Mi Sun had said it contained only a taste of their findings and that once they were officially recognised by Monarch and therefore protected from the government laws, she would give them the rest.

Now it was only a matter of time before they started asking questions about _how_ they managed to gather such information.

Last night, Amara had agued that Monarch was made up of elite scientists and that they would never believe a connection like her and Godzilla’s could exist at the level it was.

Mi Sun merely sent back a knowing look and asked if Amara had forgotten that she was also a scientist. Even though there were so many unknowns about the “how” of their connection, there was undeniable evidence that it existed. There were many things like that. Gravity, dark matter, love.

“Amara, don’t make me come in there!”

Amara tossed the blanket off. “I’m up, I’m up. Give me a minute.”

“Good, we have an interview with Monarch in ten minutes.”

 _Interview_? What interview?

Amara swung her legs off the bad, suddenly wide awake. “What do you mean? Where?”

“On Skype. Ilene says it’s mostly just a formality, but they have to do it for their records.” Mi Sun’s voice rang through the door. “Oh, and have you had a background check recently? They need that too.”

Instead of answering in any recognizable language, Amara stumbled out of bed and pulled on a pair of pants while making a series of um and uh noises.

This was all happening so fast. One day she’s taken by Jonah’s men, the next she was being interviewed by the most revolutionary scientific organization of the 21st century. She didn’t even have a degree yet, and Monarch was going to hire her?

Was she ever going to finish school?

Amara pulled out a decent looking button up shirt, only undoing a few at the top before pulling it over her head. She did them back up. Her shaking hands making it more difficult than it needed to be.

By the time she came out of the room, Mi Sun was setting up her laptop on the kitchen island. A steaming kettle sat on the stove, two mugs waiting to be filled nearby.

Before Mi Sun could acknowledge her presence, Amara went to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Her tired green eyes peered back at her in the mirror while she brushed her hair. What would she be doing right now if none of this had happened?

Well, sleeping at this very moment was the obvious answer. Life before this did seem increasingly dull in comparison to everything that’s happened over the past summer. Now it was nearly September and she wasn’t going to make it back for the fall term. Instead, her tuition in her checking account, ready to be spent on whatever else Godzilla was going to throw at her.

Pain creeped into her temples. Strange. Normally it was focused in on the center of her forehead, where the thread was.

Then again, there was such a thing as a normal headache.

She reached into the medicine cabinet and pulled out the bottle of no name pain killers, downing two of them. There was no time to deal with that today.

Only a few minutes later she sat beside Mi Sun in front of the open laptop. Mi Sun sipped her tea without a care in the world, while Amara only mixed more cream and sugar into hers.

The laptop chimed and a window popped up on the screen with a picture of a phone. According to the display, Ilene Chen was calling. Mi Sun had a smile on her face as she clicked the icon.

Amara straightened her posture and tried to supress the expression on her face which surely screamed utter mortification.

Dr. Ilene Chen was head of the titan research division and current senior official of Monarch since Dr. Ishiro Serizawa’s mysterious death.

“Ilene!” Mi Sun said, beaming at the woman on the screen.

Ilene Chen had short black hair and perfect ivory skin that contrasted with her deep ebony eyes.

“Mi Sun, it’s good to see you.” Ilene’s sincere voice was slightly accented. Her eyes shifted on the screen. “And you must be Amara, it is a pleasure.”

“Nice to meet you too, Dr. Chen.” It was incredible. Actually talking to a Monarch scientist. No celebrity could compare.

Ilene nodded politely and got straight to business. “How did you manage to gather this information so quickly? We’ve been following Godzilla for years and have never been able to gather anything like this.”

“We were out looking for blue whales when our sonar picked up something larger. We took turns diving down to investigate, and sure enough, Godzilla was there.”

Mi Sun made it sound like coming across Godzilla wasn’t a near death experience. Well, maybe it wasn’t for her.

“He didn’t react at all? To either of you?”

Mi Sun shook her head. “No, I swam right up beside him. He looked at me, but not much more,” she said and moved along. “That’s when we saw his dorsal plates were glowing and the whales swimming around him. We didn’t know the correlation until later though.”

“That the whales were feeding off his radiation?”

“Yes.”

“And how did you come to that hypostasis?”

“Later when we tracked him to the island. He must have grown curious of our presence, because he came up out of the water to where we were camping. We managed to get close enough to measure his radiation—” Mi Sun held up Godzilla’s saliva sample in a small plastic bag. “—And get this.”

Ilene’s eyes grew wide. A scientist came from out of nowhere to look at the baggy Mi Sun dangled before them like a doggy treat.

“Uncontaminated, straight from his mouth?”

Mi Sun smiled. “It is.”

The woman beside Ilene practically quivered from behind her dark framed glasses. Her eyes went from the monitor to the other woman. “You’ll let me analyze it, right?”

Ilene regarded her. “Yes, of course Michelle. Now may I finish my interview?”

“O-oh yes, sorry!” Michelle fixed her glasses and trotted off screen.

“That was Dr. White. She’s our head lab tech. Speaking of which, Amara you’re a biology student, correct?”

Amara nearly chocked on the tea she was sipping. “Yes, I have one year left before I graduate.”

“But you are taking a year off to work as Dr. Park’s research assistant?”

“Yes. We’ve been a successful team so far, and I would like to continue.”

“For the experience?”

There was no denying that this experience would look good on her resume and open all sorts of doors to future career opportunities. Even if she wasn’t paid, it was well worth it for those reasons alone.

Her answer tumbled out of her mouth.

“For Godzilla.”

Amara’s words caught everyone off guard, herself included. That wasn’t what she meant to say. This was an interview with a government organization, not coffee with friends.

Mi Sun broke the silence. “Amara is very passionate about titan welfare. And with current events the way they are, she wants to help in anyway she can.”

Ilene’s expression sobered, he’s eyes drifting off to the side. “After all our efforts to protect Godzilla, they still refuse to let him live.” Her gaze sharpened. “Don’t they see what will happen?”

Maybe Amara’s sentimentality wasn’t so displaced. Ilene seemed just as passionate as her and Mi Sun. Were all the Monarch scientists the same? All just as enthusiastic? There because they genuinely cared about the titans? Not just the money, the prestige?

Amara spoke up. “We want to help. Time is running out and we have to do whatever we can to prove Godzilla isn’t a threat.”

Ilene smirked. “We can start with that sample. I can send a jet out to pick you guys up tomorrow. There’s a fair bit of paperwork to fill out when you get here, and I’ll need a background check, but you’re clear to start as soon as it’s all done.” She leaned back. “On behalf of Monarch, welcome on board.”

Mi Sun looked over to Amara. They shared a smile. They were in.

…

“For Godzilla,” Mi Sun mocked for perhaps the hundredth time.

Once again, they were at the airport ready to fly off to another destination. At least Monarch was paying for this flight.

“Oh my god, would you stop already,” Amara said, crossing her arms.

They stepped out onto the tarmac. Ahead was privet jet, a lone Monarch logo near the tail. White against the dark paint.

“Oh, I’m just teasing. You know I think it’s sweet.” Mi Sun reached out and touched Amara’s shoulder. “I hope he comes to visit us at the base.”

One of the airport personnel guided them up the stairs and into the plane. It wasn’t until they were seated that Amara answered.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Mi Sun hummed, distracted by the elegant furnishings of the jet’s interior. “What were we talking about?”

Amara propped her elbow on the armrest and leaned her head in her hand “You know who going to you know where.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? That’s the whole point of having the base underwater.”

That’s right, Castle Bravo was the underwater base. There were so many around the globe it was hard to keep track of which was which. Did they have windows to observe Godzilla?

The thought of Godzilla staring down at her from outside a dark window was frightening. A face in an endless abyss. Completely at his mercy.

“Ah, that’s fair.” Amara readjusted her head to see out the window.

The jet fired up, the trees past by the window as it took off. Mi Sun wrote in her notebook with perfect measured strokes, unbothered by the take off.

This was it. She was going to Monarch. After everything so far, seeing Godzilla for the first time, getting chased off by the military, kidnapped by bad guys. None of it stopped her.

Would her perseverance pay off? Would her and Mi Sun able to save Godzilla? For some reason the research of his radiation didn’t seem like enough. For all they knew, it could be a double edge sword. If the government decided that Godzilla’s radiation wasn’t lethal, it would be all the easier to kill him. No risk of nuclear fallout.

Mi Sun said before that it was possible he had two different types of radiation, the healing one he used as energy and the destructive kind that annihilated the beach before her eyes. Maybe Mi Sun’s saliva sample would provide more answers.

Or…there was always the option of asking Godzilla himself.

What a weird thought. She’d been able to speak to him how long now? And it was still just as hard to accept.

…

Hours later, the plane landed in some airport in the middle of nowhere. But there was no time to ponder since they were immediately loaded into a military helicopter and off over the ocean in ten minutes flat.

It was another half hour before they reached an off-shore oil rig. However, instead of landing on it, the landing pad spilt apart revealing a tunnel going straight down below the water line.

Both Amara and Mi Sun were glued to the window as the helicopter descended straight down the narrow passage. The base came into view. Massive and brightly lit. The most notable feature being a giant frozen head anchored to a slab of concrete. It was familiar…

Mi Sun’s nose pressed against the glass. “Is that the head of the female MUTO?”

The female MUTO as in the one without wings that single handily flattened Vegas? Judging by the head being here, it must have been the one Godzilla allegedly decapitated with his atomic breath.

It must have been quite a spectacle. Too bad there wasn’t any footage.

The helicopter touched down on the actual landing pad and they climbed out onto the tarmac.

The base wasn’t so much that as it was a city. The walls and ceiling were made of rock, most likely blasted away to make room for the tall concrete buildings that lined the cavern walls. Connecting them was a series of walkways lit up with spotlights. Nearly every person within eyesight was either wearing a white lab coat or a military uniform. 

“Welcome to Outpost fifty-two.”

Both her and Mi Sun turned to the approaching woman. Dr. Ilene Chen. She wore a sweater under her lab coat, a sensible option for the rather cold humid climate of the underwater fortress.

Ilene walked straight up to Mi Sun and gave her a quick hug. She then turned to shake Amara’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Amara said, at loss for anything better to say. “In person I mean.”

Wow. Awkward.

As per usual Mi Sun swooped in and saved the day. “This is impressive, even for Monarch. It’s nice to see the government is putting some serious funding into titan research.”

Ilene gestured for them to follow her along one of the walkways. “Well, as long as we dedicate just as much research for finding their weaknesses as we do everything else. Especially since current events,” she added. “They’re putting more funding into this base alone than the rest combined simply because Godzilla is their biggest threat.”

“They _believe_ Godzilla is their biggest threat.” Mi Sun said.

Ilene looked at Mi Sun. “We don’t have any reason not to. Godzilla’s behaviour has been erratic since the mass awakening. You and Amara have been the only ones with direct contact with him since.”

Even Monarch was sceptical of Godzilla’s actions. Perhaps they weren’t on his side, but their own. The side of knowledge. The side that if deemed him as an enemy, would destroy him. But if they deemed him innocent, then fight for his survival.

The side of humanity.

Even Monarch, the ones dedicated to helping the titans, to coexisting with them, would kill them if it came down to it. If they decided Godzilla wasn’t on their side. They would kill him.

If only they knew he wasn’t just some animal. If only they knew how intelligent he really was.

But that was why she was here, after all. To show them that Godzilla was more than that. He was wise and knew the faults of man, and that without him, the world would be a different place.

Had he ever told her that?

No, he didn’t have to. It was obvious to anyone with more than two brain cells that he was the balancing force of the planet. There was a reason he lived so long.

They entered one of the buildings. Its roof built right into the cavern wall, perhaps through it and up into the ocean.

The halls were bare and brightly lit. Windows were sparse, overlooking the maze-like city. They took an elevator up what seemed like endless floors.

The first stop was their assigned rooms, not too small and not too big. A double size bed in the corner, square lights on the walls meant to mimic windows. A small dresser across from a large desk, and a modest TV was mounted to the wall not far from the bed. Everything was either white or gray.

Mi Sun’s room was two doors down from Amara’s. It looked identical except that it was mirrored.

At the end of the hall was a common area for everyone from floors thirty-five to forty. It consisted of a large kitchen and dining area as well as a massive living room.

In all honesty, it looked more like a luxury prison than a research facility. But that was the cost of living under the ocean floor.

Next, they went up to the observation deck on floor forty-one. Ilene told them that they needed clearance to gain access to the floor, and that it was off limits after hours.

“Speaking of which, I have these for you.” Ilene reached into her laptop sized shoulder bag and pulled out two name tags.

Amara took the one with her name and photo. _Godzilla Research Division, Biologist Assistant_ was written under her name.

For some reason, the words made her legs weak and her hands tingle. This was really happening. She was going to make a difference.

“See Amara, I told you this is why Ilene needed our picture.”

Amara looked back up to Mi Sun who was putting hers around her neck.

“Yeah, well at least you look good in your picture.”

“Not my fault you didn’t want to smile.”

“I thought it was supposed to be serious!”

The elevator door opened to a huge—and rather dark—room. At first glance, the far wall appeared black, but as they walked in, they weren’t walls at all, they were windows.

The inky darkness was the depths of the ocean. The terrors of the deep just outside a plate of glass.

It wasn’t until Ilene spoke that Amara ripped her eyes away from the windows of endless black.

“Well this is it, the observation deck.”

The only other people in the room looked up at Ilene’s announcement. They got up from their desks and paced over to her, Ilene, and Mi Sun.

The woman was the one from the video, Michelle, was it? Her dark framed glasses contrasted with her ginger hair and freckled skin. She walked quickly, her heels clicking across the floor. The other was a tall man. Dirty blonde hair adorned his head and face.

“This is Dr. Michelle White and Dr. Sam Colman. Michelle is our senior biologist and Sam is our tech director and government liaison. At the moment he’s also helping me out as senior official of Monarch.”

Mi Sun and Amara took turns shaking their hands and introduced themselves as well.

“I’ve been reading all of your research papers Dr. Park, and I must say I’m a huge fan. The fact that you collected saliva straight from Godzilla’s mouth—unbelievable!” Michelle said as she shook Mi Sun’s hand like a rabid fangirl.

“I mean, was he sleeping?” Sam asked.

Mi Sun smirked, a gleam in her eye. “Nope, wide awake. Amara was distracting him.”

All eyes turned to Amara.

She crossed her arms. “If by distracting, you mean trying no to be eaten, then sure.”

The Monarch scientists’ eyebrows rose and Mi Sun let out a small chuckle. “I have photo evidence proving that was not the case.”

Michelle’s neck snapped back to Mi Sun, eyes shining with glee. “You have pictures?”

“I do.”

Ilene spoke up, “Did you bring them?”

“Of course I did. They’re in my bag.”

Michelle didn’t waste a second. “You have to show them to me! Are they in your room?”

Mi Sun nodded.

“We’ll be right back,” Michelle said as she put her hand on Mi Sun’s shoulder, coxing her towards the elevator.

Mi Sun, though looking slightly confused, excused herself and left with Michelle.

Ilene cleared her throat after the elevator closed. “Anyways, that was Michelle.”

Sam gave a tight smile. “She’s…enthusiastic, to say the least.”

Amara nodded. She uncrossed her arms only to cross them again. The situation was ten times more uncomfortable without Mi Sun present.

Ilene continued her interdiction. “As I was saying, this is the observation room. We built it with the hopes of seeing Godzilla in his natural environment as he tends to frequent this particular area.”

Amara’s eyes slid back to the window. “How often do you see him?”

It was Sam who answered. “In passing a few times, he generally stays just out of the reach of our spot lights. The most resent time was when Ghidorah was woken up.” He gestured to the window. “He came straight up to the window to tell us something was wrong.”

Ilene walked towards the window. “Or he knew humans were responsible for Ghidorah’s resurrection. He did nearly destroy the building as he swam away.”

Another question to ask Godzilla the next time she saw him. Life would be simple if she could just tell them what Godzilla thought about everything. Instead she had to prove it with evidence and not make it obvious that the titan was connected to her.

“Are you the only three up here normally?” Amara asked.

Ilene looked at her. “No, we usually have more, but their all in China right now at outpost 61B. We’ll be going there as well. Maybe you and Dr. Park can work your magic on Mothra and find out something we don’t know.”

“M—Mothra? Mi Sun and I are going to see her as well?”

First Godzilla, now Mothra? Would meeting the queen of the monsters be as frightening as meeting the king?

No, Mothra was known to be docile and in a contained facility, already surrounded by scientists. And if Godzilla tolerated her, surely Mothra would.

Sam had a look of disbelief. “You’re scared of a giant larva when you’ve already been face to face with Godzilla?”

Amara nodded, eyes everywhere but the two people in front of her and the dark window.

“Don’t worry, Ling, my sister has even touched her. She’s completely harmless.”

Still, if she was as smart as Godzilla, there could be more to her than just a benevolent monster.

…

_Darkness. Looming. Overpowering pressure._

_Time, a standstill. Forever and a day. The vessel, a prison._

_A presence running deep within. Yanking a loose thread. Pulling out of the darkness to something beyond._

_Something brighter._

_Burning._

Amara sat up, pain shooting through her skull.

The room was unfamiliar and dark, only illuminated by one of the faint window lights. This wasn’t Mi Sun’s house. No, she was at Monarch, under the ocean.

She swung her legs off the bed. The tread pulling her up like a puppet. Godzilla was here, and…he wasn’t happy.

 _Of all places, why was she here?_ Godzilla’s thought ran through her head clear as day.

Amara kept her voice low. “Why are you so upset about it?”

_Come out._

Come out? Out where he could see her? It only took a feeling in her gut for her to put on a sweater and head out of the room.

She put her nametag up to the scanner in the elevator before hitting the button for the forty-first floor. Sure, it was the middle of the night, but Ilene never did mention the actual hours of the observation room.

The elevator opened to the empty room. Only a few lights illuminated various desks and control panels. Outside the window was still the same shade of all consuming black.

She walked towards it, grabbing a desk chair along the way and rolling it beside her. She stopped in front of the window and sat down in the chair, eyes fixed on the darkness outside.

Not a single light shone into the darkness. But he was there. Unseen.

 _Why are you here?_ Godzilla’s thought resonated like a cannon in her mind.

Amara held her head as if it would stop the vibration in her skull. “Could you be a little quieter?”

_No._

Well alright then. He was pissed.

She kept her voice low. “Mi Sun and I are here to help you, help stop this mess.”

_The creatures here meddle far too much. Make things worse time and time again. First parasites, then the ancient hydra. What will they release next?_

“I know they’re not perfect, but they’re the only ones who can help us.”

_I don’t need help. I warned them before when they meddled, I will not do it again._

“Ghidorah was woken up by someone else. Monarch has always been on your side.”

_Even you do not believe that._

”I…believe its complicated, but they are our only chance at stopping a war. Plus, you can sense they’re not bad, can’t you?”

_There are many here. Too many to sense intentions._

So he could. What amazing instincts.

“Could you always sense mine?”

_I feel everything you feel. Fear, confusion, excitement._

“All the time? Even when we’re apart?”

Sure, she felt his emotions, but that was only when they were close and they were particularly strong, like anger and annoyance. But for him to feel what she felt all the time?

_Always. Sometimes in the back of my mind, sometimes all consuming._

“…Sorry.”

 _Not her fault._ His thought was quiet.

Amara couldn’t help but smile out into the abyss. Now was her chance to ask about Mothra.

Footsteps clicked against the floor bringing her back into the present. She swiveled the chair towards the person. It was Sam, the man from earlier. Tucked under his arm were an assortment of papers and a laptop.

“Oh. It’s you,” he said, blinking. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I…” What was a good excuse? “Heard something. I wanted to know if I could see it.”

Sam resumed his walk, placing the contents he carried onto the desk he sat at before. He never took his eyes off her. “I thought you didn’t like that window.”

_The creature is observant. Suspicious of you._

_I know that!_ Amara thought back.

“Well that was before, now I’m curious.” It was truthful enough.

”What exactly do you think is out there?” He took a few steps closer, cautious.

Amara made of show of shrugging. “Sounded kinda like a whale.”

Sam finally took his eyes off her and looked out the window. “Do you think it’s still there?”

Amara opened her mouth to answer, but Sam was already at a machine. He pressed a button and many of the monitors came to life, one of which was a sonar. It displayed a mass right outside the base.

Sam stared at it, not reacting at all.

_He is right to be afraid._

Amara glared out the window. _He’s not the bad guy._

“Amara, can I ask you to step away from the window.” Sam’s voice wavered.

She complied, getting up and walking closer to him were all the machines were lined up. She came to a stand beside the frozen scientist while his eyes remained fixed on the black windows.

Slowly, he reached for another button. As he pressed it, the darkness outside lit up into day.

Godzilla’s face was mere meters from the glass. Teeth, scale, and amber eyes. Beautiful, yet in a single movement, could flood the entire city.

Sam’s hand was still frozen over the button. His wide blue eyes staring frightened into Godzilla’s dangerous ones. He swallowed as he moved his hand to a different button. A red one.

“Don’t sound the alarm.” Amara grabbed his wrist faster than he could react.

His eyes bounced between her, Godzilla and the button. “A—are you crazy?”

“He’ll leave. He’s just curious.”

“He looks like he’s ready to kill us.”

“No no, I think the lights are just too bright. He’s just squinting.”

Amara glanced at Godzilla. _Go, please._

His gaze shifted ever so slightly, now staring directly at her. His glare softened and he lifted his head up. The grey scales of his body filled the entirety of the window as he rose. The last thing they say was the tip of his tale, leaving the lights to shine further into the darkness. He was gone.

Sam’s let out a long breath. He took a step back and fell into the nearest chair. “Never thought I’d see that again.”

“What? Godzilla in the window?”

“Yeah, he always looks so pissed too. You’d think he’d realise we’re on his side by now.”

Amara went back to the window to retrieve her chair, rolling it back to join him. “Human’s have been so back and forth with him that it’s probably not that easy to tell. One second we’re backing him up, and the next we’re trying to nuke him.”

“But we brought him back from the dead. Dr. Serizawa sacrificed his life to save Godzilla.”

“Wait, what? Is that how he died?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot you’re new here.” Sam scratched his head. “The military sent in a classified weapon to kill both Ghidorah and Godzilla off the coast of Mexico, but it only hurt Godzilla. We tracked him down and Dr. Serizawa used a bomb to basically boost his nuclear regenerative powers.”

“Is that why he’s so powerful now?”

“Yeah, we essentially overcharged him and turned him into a bomb. We don’t know how he was able to withstand literally blowing himself up, but he did and took out both Boston and Ghidorah in the process.”

“I didn’t know that.”

The former head of Monarch sacrificed his life for Godzilla?

Pain filled her head. She squeezed her eyes shut. Instead of the black of her eyelids, her vision was red. Lava pouring from the walls. She was laying on a pedestal weak and in pain.

Before him, a tiny man carrying an object. Placing it down then walking towards him. Putting his hand on his nose.

A flash.

“You okay?” Sam’s voice cut through the vision.

Amara opened her eyes. “Oh yeah, just a headache.”

What was that? Did Godzilla intend to show her that for clarification?

“There’s pain killers in the kitchen.”

She waved him off. “That’s okay, thanks. I took some earlier.”

Silence. Sam shuffled through a stack of papers and Amara swiveled in her chair. Awkward.

Sam cleared his throat. “So…you’re pretty used to Godzilla.”

“Hm?” She stilled.

“I mean, you were hardly fazed when he was right there,” Sam said, continuing to busy himself with the papers

She dropped her shoulders. “Oh yeah. I’ve been up close and personal with him a few times now, believe it or not.”

“You think it’s coincidence?”

“It must be. We were following him around the area though. Maybe he got curious about us when he came up to the cliff side.”

“Mi Sun’s pictures are incredible. I wanted to look at them again, but Michelle isn’t keen on sharing them yet.” He rolled his eyes. “Weren’t you worried he was going to eat you or something? I mean actually, in all seriousness.”

“Yeah, I mean, I still do. No matter how many times I tell myself I’m not even a calorie to him, I’m still paranoid about it. Even more the fact he could easily crush me without knowing it.”

_He would do no such thing unless he chose to._

Amara ignored Godzilla’s intrusive thought. Could he not eavesdrop?

The tread attached to her forehead slacked. Had it been taut this entire time?

“Do you think he’s curious about you specifically? I mean you’re here and now he is.”

Oh no. Was he already suspicious of her and Godzilla’s connection? Maybe she should have acted more surprised when Godzilla appeared in the window. Maybe she should have just stayed in bed and told him to stay away from the base.

No, it was okay. Godzilla being curious about her was still fathomable within the realm of reality. Still, why did it have to come up so soon?

Amara swallowed. “Maybe. Maybe not. Why?”

Instead of a sinister look crossing his face, his eyes nearly brightened. “Well, maybe we could use it to our advantage.”

She leaned the slightest bit forward. “How?”

…


	13. Mosura

_Of all the creatures, why her?_

_Her existence, simple, irrelevant. A single creature among countless others. So small she could hardly be seen._

_Yet, to him, she was a ray of sunlight shining down into the deepest depths of the ocean. A presence always there. Sometimes near and sometimes far. Always visible but just out of reach._

_Her presence grew brighter each time the sun rose. No longer was her light fleeting._

_Now she reached out as well. Reaching into the depths of the earth, just to find him. Just to know where he was._

_This light was invaluable, yet so tiny that the slightest wind could extinguish it._

_It could not go out. Its end would bring darkness._

_A darkness none could escape._

“Hey, wake up. We’re here.”

Amara opened her eyes and peeled her face off the window. Outside of the off-road vehicle— Mi Sun referred to as some sort of Mercedes— was a stone temple. An ancient structure hidden within an equally ancient forest.

Outpost 61B. One of the few known temples deep within the Yunnan province of China, and where the new Mothra resided.

Sam folded up his laptop and got out of the front seat. Mi Sun, who had kindly woken her up, was staring over her shoulder at the stone pyramid.

“Come on you two,” Ilene urged as she too climbed out of the vehicle.

Amara undid her seatbelt and opened the door. The forest air was cool and damp against her face, it’s sent refreshing and reminiscent of home on the island. The moss covered trees were tall, only allowing stray ribbons of sunlight to pass though. If it wasn’t for a clock, it would be impossible to tell the time.

Hm, ribbons of light. There was something familiar about that.

Ilene explained that this temple was only a tenth of the size of the Temple of the Moth. In fact, it was one of many surrounding the main Outpost.

Sam lead their group into an ornate entrance. Pillars on either side were decorated with carvings of moths. Lights were strung up along the central hall, illuminating even more drawings carved into the walls.

Ilene spoke as she led the group through the corridor. “These carvings tell the story of the people who once lived here.”

Mi Sun stopped in front of one of the carvings. It depicted a group of people surrounding a giant sphere. “Mothra’s egg?” 

Sure enough the people looked to be dancing around it, some even playing instruments like flutes and drums.

Ilene joined Mi Sun. “Yes. The strange thing is, in every temple, there is a different amount of people surrounding the egg. At first, we thought it was simply the number of people in each particular temple, but there’s a pattern, leading us to believe it’s actually a counter for a different egg. There are five people in this carving, so we believe it’s the fifth egg.”

Ilene then gestured to the next one. It looked like people building a temple around the sphere. “We suspect that they built a new temple wherever Mothra laid her egg.”

“Do you know why the main temple is so much bigger?”

“Well, up until now we assumed Mothra took at least a few years before hatching. She must have gone dormant in the central temple, so they continued to build it bigger and bigger until their people died out.”

“That’s too bad.” Amara turned from Ilene back to the drawing. “Spending the rest of their lives hoping to see Mothra again.”

Sam waved the group onwards.

As they walked, Ilene continued telling them about Mothra, pointing to carvings along the way. “The worshipped her as their god and mother. The closest translation we could come up with was ‘Queen of the Monsters’.”

Amara looked at the next image. “Is this another titan?”

The drawing was of Mothra flying towards a snake like creature with small arms and legs. Behind her was a group of people.

“Yes, here shows her protecting the people from another titan.”

Sam appeared at her side. “We actually found this guy’s remains a few miles from here,” he said, gesturing to the snake titan.

Amara shuddered. Snakes weren’t that bad. Their big round eyes were somehow endearing. But a massive snake the size of a train? No thank you.

Sam took one look at Amara’s face and pulled his lips back into a tight smile. “I feel the same.”

They came to a metal door at the end of the hall. The shiny sliver in stark contrast to the smooth stone. One last carving was on the wall beside it. It was bigger and much more ornate than the rest. Mothra with her wings spread, eggs below her and larvae on either side. The peculiar thing was what was above her. Two women in elaborate clothing, their palms pressed together.

Mi Sun noticed as well. “Who are they?”

“Mothra’s priestesses. They are shown in every temple. Always woman and always two of them.”

Mi Sun hummed. “Are they meant to be identical?”

Ilene didn’t answer at first. Her expression unreadable as she stared up at the twin priestesses. When she did finally speak, her voice was quiet, far away. “…We’re still trying to figure that out.”

Amara and Mi Sun shared a look. Ilene was normally outspoken, what was it about the priestesses that had her so distant?

Sam cleared his throat. “And through here, we have the main attraction.”

He approached the door, pressing a series of buttons on the keypad lock.

Mothra was behind that door. Another titan. She was kind though, Godzilla’s friend and ally. Harmless no matter how big and scary she might look.

Would she be able to talk to Mothra too? Would Mothra even want to talk to her?

The door opened with a beep. It opened slowly, controlled by hydraulics. As it opened, a sliver of turquoise light shone through the crack, slowly expending until it filled the hallway.

They filed into the room as if it wasn’t occupied by a creature once worshipped as a goddess.

The light was soft, but still bright compared to the dimly lit hallway. It took a moment before the contents of the room came into focus.

The glow came from something on the other side of a wall of glass. A giant insect, its body raised up off the ground, six tiny legs exposed. Its eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue-green; small, round, and curious. It seemed to look back at them, aware that they were newcomers to her temple.

So this was Mothra.

The glow of her body carried a sense of warmth and a strange feeling of trust. It told Amara that Mothra was comfortable around these people, around her.

Amara closed her eyes. Could she dig into the feeling? Perhaps it had a source. A thread she could find. It would be easy now that the feeling was second nature.

Instead, something prickled at the back of her neck. It traveled down into the pit of her stomach. She swallowed. Something was off, something was…coming.

Still, no thread. The feeling had no source. Just a blanket that enveloped her, enveloped anyone willing to listen.

Why was the tread so hard to find? It had been so easy with Godzilla. Even actively fighting it’s pull, it was always there.

Was her connection with Godzilla unique?

“Can you feel her unease?”

Amara looked over her shoulder at the voice. Ilene—No, a woman who looked just like her— was sitting in a chair with a strange contraption on her head. It was a helmet with wires coming out of it. Some were strung along the floor to a machine, and the rest out towards Mothra.

“Ling, don’t weird out the new guys.” A man partially wheeled his chair out from behind the machine. He was older, with grey hair. He was holding up a pair of headphones to one ear while a single earphone attached to his cell phone was in his other.

“You’re the only one who can’t feel it.” It was Ilene that replied to the man. “Amara, Dr. Park, this is Dr. Stanton, but you can call him Rick.”

Rick put the headphones down and leaned back. “Yep, no need for formalities here.”

Mi Sun, who had been standing by Ling, nodded at Rick. “Call me Mi Sun, then.”

He nodded back at her.

Amara spoke up next. “Amara. Nice to meet you.”

That was professional enough, wasn’t it?

“You too, squirt.”

…Maybe not.

After introductions were over, Mi Sun voiced what Amara had been thinking. “May I ask what’s going on here?”

“We’re doing some serious sci-fi shit over here,” Rick announced from behind a monitor.

Ilene rolled her eyes. “It’s an experimental project. Off the books.”

Ling looked away from Mothra. “For now.”

Even Monarch was doing experimental projects not approved by the government? Amara’s eyes once again travelled along the wires leading from Ling’s helmet to Mothra.

Wait.

Ling turned back at Mothra. “We are trying to communicate with her.”

Mi Sun and Amara shared a look.

Sam held up a hand. “It’s nothing official, it just seems like Mothra is actively trying to communicate, and Ilene and Ling are especially responsive to it. We’re just measuring brain activity to see if there’s any evidence of—er…”

“A telepathic connection,” Ling finished, Mothra’s bioluminescence reflecting brightly in her dark eyes.

When neither Amara, nor Mi Sun responded, Sam stepped in again. “There is evidence backing us up. All the carvings—”

Mi Sun smiled. “Yes, the two priestesses. Identical, in fact.”

“Wait, you’re actually going to believe them?” Rick leaned from around the monitor.

“I mean, anything’s possible. Right?” Amara’s voice came out quieter than intended. Not like she was really contributing to the conversation anyway.

Still, this was a lot to take in. Here she was, terrified for anyone to find out about her connection to Godzilla, and now she was standing in front of two scientists studying that exact thing. 

They were lucky though, being attached to a titan loved by all and basically proven to be benevolent, both through her actions and the carvings in this very temple.

Could she tell them? They were possibly the only ones who could truly understand the depth of having a connection with an ancient being of unmatched power and instinct.

That was, if they even had the same type of connection as she did with Godzilla. They could feel her unease, but was that all? Could they feel her pain? Here her thoughts as if it were their own?

Perhaps not, judging by the fancy hat Ling wore.

“It’s kinda why we brought you here.” Amara and Mi Sun turned to Sam who had spoken. “See, we were wondering if whatever was causing Godzilla to essentially follow you around would work with Mothra too.”

Of course it was Sam who came out and said it. And now looking at what they were researching after hours, it was obvious why.

Not only did he know about the Chen’s possible connection with Mothra, he also saw the possibility of Amara’s connection with Godzilla thanks to the late night encounter they had.

It was why he was so confident about his plan. A plan so ridiculous only her and Mi Sun would be sure it would work. To him and everyone else it was absolutely outrageous and far too risky to be approved.

Ugh, it wasn’t even worth thinking about.

Mi Sun glanced at Amara before regarding Sam. “You think there could be something unique about us?”

“Mothra hasn’t stopped looking at Amara since you both arrived.”

Amara turned along with everyone at Ling’s words, all eyes on the titan who cooed at the attention.

How could Ling tell Mothra was looking at Amara? The larvae’s blue eyes seemed to look at everything and nothing at once.

Sam paced back towards the computes. “Rick, are you looking at the brain scans? Any anomalies?”

“I don’t know brainac, you try comparing a human brain to an insect one.”

Mi Sun joined them at the machine. “Let me take a look.”

“Thank god we finally have a qualified Biologist on the team.”

Sam looked at Rick. “I thought you said you took Bio classes before.”

“Yeah in _high school_.”

“Look at this.” Mi Sun thrust her arm in between the bickering men and pointed at the monitor.

Curious, Amara joined them, Ilene not far behind. The monitor showed two brains side by side. Where the wires were on Mothra remained to be seen, but the weird shape was, in fact, reminiscent to an insect brain. The other was clearly human.

Mi Sun was pointing back and forth between the two. Both were actively lighting up with activity. “Both Ling and Mothra’s brain’s are showing similar activity. Unfortunately, I don’t know insect physiology beyond Mothra’s brain being drastically different. We would need to learn of each area’s function before we can properly compare patterns.”

“But look at how they’re lighting up. Both are nearly in sync,” Ilene said.

Mi Sun nodded. “It could be due to Mothra’s empathetic nature. I believe she can sense our emotions as easily as some of us can sense hers.”

Rick leaned back and crossed his arms. “I can’t sense her emotions.”

Ilene sent him a pointed look. “That’s because you’re not empathetic, Rick.” 

Mi Sun looked at Amara, playfully rolling her eyes as the others argued. Amara retuned the smile.

Mi Sun cleared her throat. “How close have you guys gotten to her? Have you tried physical contact?”

“Why, you and your sidekick wanna go in? Take some swabs?”

Mi Sun’s eyes once again found Amara. Oh no, not that look. The look Mi Sun always gave before doing something outrageous.

“No thanks,” Amara said before Mi Sun dragged her in front of another titan.

If Mi Sun heard her, she didn’t acknowledge it. “You mean you haven’t already?”

Ilene spoke up this time. “We aren’t allowed to because of past events. We were just going to try hooking you guys up to the machine.”

“Yeah, the last time anyone went on the other side of the glass, she was still an egg. We just lucked out that the wires stayed in tact,” Rick said.

Between Sam’s plan and this, it seemed more like Monarch brought them on as Guinee Pigs than scientists.

Telling them about her connection with Godzilla would be a bad a bad idea. Unlike Mothra, he wouldn’t hang out and be Monarch’s latest test subject. And neither would she.

Still, it was only day three of working for Monarch and they were already being asked to participate in a secret experiment. Was this a time sensitive matter? Everyone was worried that Mothra’s appearance meant something bad might happen. Were they trying to find out what?

Did Mothra herself know?

“Sure, I’ll try it,” Mi Sun said as she walked over to Ling. The latter look the helmet off and got up from the chair, stretching as she did.

Ling helped place the silly looking contraption on Mi Sun’s head, meanwhile Rick and Sam worked on calibrating it to her brain.

The process was taking longer than expected. Even Mothra had grown bored of the commotion, curling up.

Amara looked over to Ilene. “Can I go look around the temple?”

“Sure, just stick to the paths that are lit up. The camp is along the far side of the temple as well if you need to use a bathroom. Just knock on the door if it’s closed when you get back and we’ll let you in.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Amara headed back through the temple, gazing at walls as she did. The path to Mothra’s room was a straight shot from the entrance, but other paths were lit up along tertiary halls.

She turned down one, even more drawings scattered along the stone. Most of the drawings were more or less the same, Mothra in her various forms surrounded by tiny figures of people.

Looking closer, two of the tiny figures were carved in slightly deeper making them more predominant than the rest. Were they the priestesses?

The hall ended abruptly into an empty room. The walls were lined with drawings of Mothra. Egg, larvae, moth, egg, larvae, moth, and so on around the room. The images spiraled higher and higher on the walls.

Was that it?

Amara looked up at the ceiling.

There was one more carving of Mothra, but she wasn’t alone.

Her wings were spread wide as she perched on top of a mountain. A living mountain.

He was facing forward, unlike other ancient drawings. But even without the telltale dorsal plate visible, the shape was unmistakable.

Godzilla.

Other monstrous titans surrounded them, creating a circular frame. They almost looked to be…bowing.

It looked familiar, almost like what the news showed after Godzilla won the fight against Ghidorah. Monsters were surrounding him like in the picture. Proof that he was king of the monsters. And here was Mothra, the proclaimed queen. A strange pair, but that was nature.

How did they work together? Mothra’s abilities were still largely unknown. All anyone knew was that she had the ability to shoot silk from her mouth and near blinding bioluminescence. There were other theories floating around, some people even claimed she had a stinger based on shaking camera footage of her battle with Rodan.

She was there for Godzilla in Boston, Ilene and the others witnessing first hand as Mothra sacrificed herself for him. Some of the scientists even speculated that it was because of Mothra that Godzilla could go thermonuclear—as Rick called it.

They figured Mothra retained her genetic memory, so this new Mothra remembered everything that happed in her pervious lives. Perhaps a gift, perhaps a curse. Ether way, it was probably why she was so comfortable around humans.

Amara dropped her head and stretched her neck side to side until it cracked. She never did get a chance to ask Godzilla about Mothra.

She closed her eyes and pulled on the tread, trying to find the other end. But there was nothing, he was too far.

Maybe, if she could just pull a little bit harder.

Pain flared up in her temples as she relentlessly tugged at the string. Wasn’t their connection stronger now? Or was he just able to pull the tread further, reach out to her when she couldn’t reach back?

He could be the only one who knew why Mothra hatched so quickly. Surly he could communicate with Mothra just as easily as he could with her, right?

She gave one final yank.

A roar filled her mind. A jolt of electricity rattled through her brain. She doubled over, hands on her head.

Ugh, stupid lizard. Why did he have to be so far away? Why couldn’t the connection work without causing pain? Why was she so annoyed all of a sudden?

It wasn’t her annoyance, it was Godzilla’s.

Yeah, well, sorry for trying to talk.

The pain disappeared as fast as it came. She turned and walked back out into the hallway. Time to find the bathroom.

…

It was nearly eight pm when it was Amara’s turn to try on the fancy helmet. Calibrating the thing was agonizing. The constant high pitch buzz was really getting on her nerves.

Through the window in front of her, Mothra was still curled up. The glow of her body was hardly noticeable, maybe that meant she really was asleep.

“It’s still showing weird activity.” Rick’s’ voice cut through the buzzing in her ear.

Mi Sun, Sam, and the twins were at his side looking intently into the screen. Non of them were proper neurologists, even Mi Sun’s knowledge was limited when it came to the finer details of the brain, or so she said.

Long story short, their constant chatter was getting tiring.

“What exactly is weird about my brain?”

While the others stayed quiet, Mi Sun answered. “Your frontal lobe is showing bizarre patterns, but only in the very center, right behind your forehead.”

Amara stared at Mi Sun. That’s exactly were the tread was.

Mi Sun winked before looking back down at the screen with the others. She knew too, then.

“C—can’t we just ignore it and move on?”

The Monarch scientists all traded looks and shrugged shoulders. When no one protested, Sam nodded. “May as well try, right?”

Rick pressed a button.

The pitch of the buzzing noise grew higher and higher until it was no longer a sound and more like a feeling. Like static electricity. 

Well, if she truly did have a connection with Mothra as well, this was it.

Mothra herself, came to life. Her eyes lighting up and her body’s blue glow returning.

“She’s reacting!” Ilene said as she rounded the machines and stood by Amara, facing the observation window.

The others followed, more interested in Mothra’s behaviour than trivial brain scans.

Mi Sun put a hand on Amara’s shoulder. “Do you feel anything?”

“Yeah my head feels like it’s floating.”

Mi Sun let out a huff of laughter. “Other than that?”

Mothra leaned closer to the glass. An air of curiosity filled the room.

Ilene also stepped closer to the window, Ling not far behind. “Amazing.”

Amara closed her eyes, once again searching for a thread, this time towards Mothra. Maybe the machine helped, maybe it didn’t. Either way, there was still no thread.

The blue of Mothra’s eyes reflected off the glass. She was as close as she could get without braking through.

Nothing.

Mothra’s presence was more like a blanket. Her emotions could be felt by everyone that opened themselves up to her.

“How about now?” Ilene asked, though she still looked through the glass.

Mothra looked away from Amara and turned her attention to the twins. The larvae let out a chirp, more like a bid than a bug. It was high pitched and almost musical, like chiming bells.

Ilene placed a palm on the glass while she stared up at her.

Surely it was Ilene and Ling who had a connection with Mothra, not Amara. Even while she was connected to this machine, they were the ones who had Mothra’s attention.

Amara took off the helmet.

Mi Sun, Sam, and Rick looked at her, but before they could say anything, Amara turned to Ling and Ilene. “I think it’s time to try physical contact.”

Rick leaned in close to her, his voice low. “We can’t do that. Last time twenty soldiers were strung up like ordainments for days before we could cut them loose. And that’s not even including everything else that happened.”

Sam stepped in. “This is different though, Rick. We understand her know.”

“And what about Jonah and his goons? They could just show up here any minute and shoot us all.”

“Is that what happened?” Mi Sun asked. “There was next to no media coverage on it in the wake of all the titan events.”

Rick tuned to her. “Oh I know. No one gives a shit about the people who have dedicated their lives to these monsters, the government included!”

The blue glow filling the room dimmed.

“Rick—”

“Don’t you ‘Rick’ me.” He pointed at Sam. “We still don’t have anymore security than before, and now the world knows about our research. Who knows who else will come through that door with a shotgun? This caterpillar didn’t protect us before, so why are we trusting her now? We don’t know what she’s capable of!”

“She was scared.”

Amara looked back at Ling with the others. Still at the window was Mothra; her glow, dim and her eyes were sad. It was like she knew what Rick was talking about and that she felt bad about it. Bad about what had happened.

She was like Godzilla then, wasn’t she? Intelligent, beyond anyone’s belief.

Even Rick must have seen it because he made no attempt at a rebuttal. He just stared at the titan with the others. Could he finally feel the emotions she projected through the room?

His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. He put a hand up and waved off everyone. “I’m going to bed. Do what you want,” he said as he turned and walked out of the room.

Amara exchanged nervous glances with the others. The tense air lifted in the room. Even Mothra’s glow returned. She chirped from the other side of the glass.

Mi Sun stepped over to the glass door that led to the decontamination chamber. “Well, are we going in?” Her smile was hesitant but did little to hide the eagerness beneath.

Amara and the twins joined Mi Sun at the door.

“I’m going to hang back here near the phone.”

“Suit yourself, Sam. Don’t complain later.” Ilene said.

Of course it was Mi Sun who entered the chamber first. With a quick blast of air, the doors to Mothra’s chamber opened. Next was Ling, then Ilene.

And then it was her turn.

Face to face with another titan. Granted, Mothra was tiny compared to Godzilla. But that didn’t take away the fact she was still larger than a house.

Amara held her breath as a fine vapor filled the chamber. The process only took a second, signaled by a light flashing green and the doors sliding open.

Mi Sun and the twins were still waiting for her just on the other side. Together they walked closer to the titan who regarded them with a curious eye. 

Ling and Ilene never looked away as the neared Mothra. Amara glanced over at Mi Sun. Did she notice their strange behaviour? Mi Sun gave a quick nod, not saying a word. Both her and Amara slowed their pace to better watch the interaction between Mothra and the twins.

Where they priestesses like in the old carvings? They were drawn to her like they themselves were being pulled by a string. Inexplicitly approaching her without fear, and instead a trust that was known only by few. Like little moths themselves, fluttering towards a flame.

Amara stopped when Mothra made a move. It was slow and deliberate. Mothra seemed to understand how big and frightening she could look to those who didn’t know her.

And she was right. As Mothra’s body twisted and coiled, it was hard to tell ift was her who was moving or the whole room spinning around her.

Mi Sun stopped a couple of steps ahead of Amara. She beckoned the latter over, wanting to watch the interaction from further away.

Amara forced her foot from the ground, the impossibly heavy limb finally relenting. Mothra was docile but that wasn’t enough. There was no connection, no way to tell what Mothra’s intentions were beyond the veil of security that emanated from her.

At this point, it was easier to approach Godzilla than Mothra. Now that was a thought.

Ling and Ilene made it to the end of the walkway were Mothra was waiting for them. She bent her head down, celestial eyes peering down at the twins. Both of them reached out towards her, and she came closer to them.

Mothra let out a soft sound, the pitch raising and lowering, like a song.

Amara once again turned to Mi Sun. There was something going on. Mothra singing to the twins like a mother to her children.

Another melody filled the air. This time coming from the sisters. Amara and Mi Sun both looking back at them as they hummed. The melody was clear like something they new by heart. The melody was unlike any other.

Mothra leaned closer to the twins, until finally, her head touched their hands.

Everything went quiet.

Ling whispered something.

Amara leaned forward, trying to catch what she said.

“I can feel it too.” Ilene’s voice was louder.

“You can feel what?” Mi Sun’s question cut through the silence like a knife.

It was Ling who answered.

“Everything.”


	14. For Godzilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the irregular updates! Enjoy!

_The rhythmic thumping from within grew irritating. The only sound in the cold black void._

_Was there more to be heard? Could the darkness speak?_

_Straining. Reaching. Anything. A noise beyond the endless beat._

_”Brain function is still minimal despite it’s exponential growth. I don’t know why we haven’t aborted yet, it’s clearly a lost cause.”_

_There. A new sound. Quiet and muffled by the crushing weight of darkness._

_Something else was here._

_“Look, another spike.”_

_The abyss was no longer empty._

_“That’s still a far cry from consciousness.”_

_There must be more._

_“Do we even want this thing to be conscious?”_

_More noise to silence._

Amara’s vision was filled with dim light from a lone window as she opened her eyes. After hours of tossing and turning the night before, the lumpy bed had formed around her body into a perfect nest of warmth. She pulled her head from under the blanket and wiped the hair from her face.

The room was empty around her. Well, it wasn’t a room, it was a trailer, split into two rooms. Men and women respectively. There were no bathrooms in the trailer. Instead she had to go outside in the middle of the night to the smaller trailer next door.

She got up, keeping the covers over her legs. The room was nippy thanks to the shady trees that blocked out the sun’s warmth.

Surely, she didn’t sleep in that late. She pulled her phone out from under her pillow. With no charger, it was nearly dead. Not that she really needed it though, Monarch’s wi-fi was garbage.

The display lit up in her hand. Crap. It was almost noon. Guess that was what happened when strange dreams kept waking her up throughout the night. What happened to Godzilla’s peaceful swimming dreams? The feeling of crushing darkness was getting old very quickly.

Keeping as much of her body under the covers as possible, she reached under the bed to her bag underneath. Placing it on the bed, she dug her clothes out.

Once she was dressed in a sweater and jeans, she crawled out of the warm sheets and stood on the cold laminate floor.

Even getting to the main trailer required going outside. This was exactly why a standard laboratory was so appealing. Working out in the middle of a forest was far from pleasant.

She put on her shoes and stepped out into the chilly air. The breeze ruffled the leaves of trees and bushes. Above, unfamiliar bird calls filled the air. The dirt path was muddy from last nights rain. As she walked along, water from the bordering foliage dripped onto it.

Okay, maybe if it wasn’t so cold, working out here could be nice. The ambient noises evoked a sense of serenity throughout the rainforest. Nature in its purest form, marred only by the human life settled upon it.

Did Mothra deem this place the most beautiful? Was that why she was here? Or was it her presence that made it this way?

As she approached the second trailer, chattering voices interrupted the peaceful forest. Louder and louder the closer she got.

She opened the door and entered pandemonium.

The night before the large room filled with round tables was mostly empty. Only a couple of people were at the kitchen set up against the far wall. Instead, most of the residents were in the other half of the trailer which was divided into small living rooms complete with Televisions and couches.

Today however, all twenty-two of the site’s inhabitants were standing amongst the tables. All were in their own loud conversations, each of their voices louder than the next. Arms waving in wild gestures.

Only a couple were seated, one of which was Mi Sun. She faced a small TV mounted on the wall. Any noise coming from it was inaudible over the raised voices. On it was a man in a suit standing at a podium.

It was then that one word rang above the others.

Godzilla.

It was always Godzilla.

What was happing now? Why was everyone panicking?

A head turned to her in the crowd. It was Sam, dark circles prominent as ever. The shorter man he was talking to turned as well, revealing himself as Rick.

Sam paced straight over to Amara, navigating the crowd while Rick sauntered behind.

Amara entered the crowd to meet him. As she did, bits of conversations became clear.

“How could they do this?”

“They can’t make us do shit.”

“What do we do now?”

“Our motto is defence and discovery not seek and destroy!”

“Who do they think they are?”

“Amara,” Sam said as they reached each other.

Amara spoke before he could say anything else. ”What’s going on?”

“Well, uh—”

Rick stepped in. “The government is dropping the hammer on Godzilla.”

All logical thought disappeared from Amara’s mind. “W-what?”

Sam looked uncomfortable. “What he means to say—”

“Time’s up.”

The room spun around her. Her arms like weights that hung from her torso. The thudding of her heart drowned out the voices.

Her eyes found the TV. The banner below the man clear as day.

_New superweapon complete. Monarch tasked with finding Godzilla before he strikes again._

Delicate hands touched her shoulders, leading her to a table. She collapsed into a plastic chair. Mi Sun sat down next to her, her lips pulled back into a smile in an attempt to hide the sad look in her eyes.

Mi Sun’s mouth moved, but her words were lost to the buzzing in Amara’s ears.

How?

Why?

Everything she’d done was meaningless. All the work, the risks, all for nothing. Godzilla’s fate was never in her hands. Godzilla was right, she was just one person. A speck. Insignificant.

Mi Sun got back up. “I’m going to get us some tea.”

Mi Sun’s back disappeared into the crowd as she headed toward the kitchen.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Amara twisted in her seat. Sam sat on her other side, arms leaning on the table. She nodded.

“So have you, uh—” he glanced around. “—thought anymore about my idea?”

He was still going on with this plan of his?

The lump in her throat grew. “It’s too dangerous.”

“It could also be our only chance to save him.”

“Isn’t that what they want now? For us to find him so they can kill him?”

“They won’t do it if we’re all there. Its not just us, all of Monarch will be there. I mean, look around, no one is happy about this.”

He was right. Everyone was still in their own heated conversations, fire in their eyes. Only a few were sitting alone at a table staring at the TV with a blank look on their face.

“Plus, we’re going to get the media there too. The _pro titan_ media. And even if they sent the military, we would be long gone before they got there.”

“You sound so sure it will work. What if Godzilla decides not to show up?”

Sam leaned in close, as if anyone could hear him above the noise. “After what happened yesterday with Ling, Ilene, and Mothra, I’m starting to think there’s something similar going on between you and Godzilla if you believe it or not.”

No. This wasn’t good. Sam could not know about her and Godzilla’s connection. First Whyley, then Jonah, now Sam?

How could they believe so easily? Just because her and Godzilla were in the same place at the same time didn’t mean anything. It could just as easily be bad luck.

But no.

Whyley saw her with Godzilla twice. Jonah pointed a gun at her head until Godzilla rose out of the water before her eyes. Then Sam just happened to catch her talking to Godzilla in the middle of the night right outside of their main base. And he didn’t know about the events at Costa Rica, or even Vancouver Island.

Maybe hiding the fact a titan was following her around was more difficult than she’d anticipated.

“I assure you there is no connection between Godzilla and I. It was just a coincidence, that’s all.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences, and even if I did, that definitely wasn’t one. You weren’t even scared when I turned on the lights and he was right there. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been face to face with him before, that’s still scary as hell.”

Thankfully, Mi Sun returned with a cup in each hand. Sam averted his eyes towards the TV.

Amara took one of the cups from Mi Sun. “Thank you.”

Mi Sun sat down on Amara’s other side. “Do we have a plan yet?”

Amara looked down at her tea. “None that I know of.” The feeling of Sam’s eyes burned into the back of her head.

“Well we’re going to have to think of something quickly.”

Sam shook his head. “We’re not going to be able to.”

Mi Sun looked at him. “Oh?”

“We’re not allowed to do anything other than finding Godzilla at this point. We can’t release any more research until he’s, er, gone.”

“Why? Because they don’t want anything to sway public opinion now that most people are afraid?”

“Pretty much.” Sam’s eyes found Amara’s. ”Too bad for them though. If Godzilla doesn’t want to be found, he can’t be.”

That was enough. Now he was assuming that she could get him to hide? Assume that Godzilla just listens to her every whim?

Amara stood up. “I’m going back to bed.”

Godzilla wouldn’t hide if she told him to. He wouldn’t go along with Sam’s plan just because there was a chance it might help.

If anything, she was the one being controlled by Godzilla. If he pulled at the thread, she had no choice but to follow. When he spoke she had no choice but to listen.

The constant pain in her head was a perpetual reminder of that. The only time it ever really went away was when she was face to face with him. Did he feel it too? The constant pain?

Instead of the trailer, her feet lead her to Mothra’s temple. Ling and Ilene were the only ones not present in the common area, so they were probably inside as well.

From what they described, their connection with Mothra was different than her and Godzilla’s. They said they could feel Mothra’s emotions and intentions as clear as their own, but they couldn’t hear her thoughts.

It was probably a good thing, though. Picking her thoughts and emotions apart from Godzilla’s wasn’t always easy.

Maybe Mothra chose to communicate with the twins, while her and Godzilla’s brain’s were forcibly glued together.

That was hardly fair.

Amara turned down one of the narrower halls of the temple. Carvings of Mothra lead the way towards the dimly lit room ahead. She stopped in the middle of the room, Mothra’s endless lifecycle surrounding her. She sat down and looked upwards. Godzilla and Mothra looked down at her from above.

Where was Godzilla now? Just off the coast of China? If her intuition had anything to do with her connection, then probably.

This was the furthest she’d been away from the ocean for a long time. Maybe that was why her headache was worse, her mind and Godzilla’s trying bridge the distance…

And now they were going to kill him.

Sure, it was inevitable since he first surfaced in Hawaii five years ago. There was no way humans would let a creature like Godzilla live on their planet. No, they must kill what they don’t understand.

It didn’t matter what Godzilla did. No matter how many titans he killed in the name of balance, humans died in his wake and therefore he was bad. He was evil.

But Godzilla’s view on humans wasn’t much better. Yes, they constantly attacked him, made things harder for him, but he still regarded them with indifference. Only when humanity proved to throw off balance, would he act. Unfortunately, the scale was already tipping out of their favor.

Perhaps Sam’s plan could change that too… if it worked.

The Godzilla standing above peered down at her. The only indication of his eyes was the negative space not etched into stone like the rest of his dark body.

Would that one thing be enough to change people’s mind’s about Godzilla? Would it be enough to show them that he was intelligent, aware of the world and its inhabitants? Show them that he knew that he was responsible for them?

He was more than just the king of the monsters. He was the protector of the planet.

“Leave it to you to find the one Godzilla carving in a temple dedicated to Mothra.” Mi Sun entered the small room, looking up at the carving. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re the only person that’s noticed.”

Mi Sun put her bag on the ground before sitting next to Amara on the stone floor. Unlike Amara, who had her knees pulled up to her chest, Mi Sun sat cross legged, leaning back on her hands.

Amara stayed quiet.

Mi Sun kept her eyes on the carving on the ceiling. “Does Godzilla know what’s happening?”

Couldn’t she just sit in silence? “I’m not sure. He’s too far away.”

“Does it feel different when he’s far?”

The weak pull of a thread stretched too thin. An ache. An hole in the back of her mind.

“Yeah, my head feels…almost empty.”

Mi Sun blinked. “Literally, or metaphorically?”

“Both, I guess.”

Peaceful silence filled the air, if only for a moment.

“Do you miss him?”

Amara looked back at Mi Sun. “Miss him? What is he, my friend?”

“Well you’re not enemies, and know each other more than acquaintances. And he follows you around.”

He didn’t follow her around because he wanted to. They were tethered.

“He thinks I’m annoying and insignificant.”

“Did he say that to you?”

Amara rested her chin on her knees. “No—well, I don’t know. I can feel it anyway.”

“Is that all you can feel?”

“It’s all he’ll really let me. But my dreams are different. I feel things I don’t think he wants me to.”

“Like what?” Mi Sun tilted her head.

“He’s…alone.”

“As in, he’s lonely?”

“Yeah. And as annoying as he thinks I am, I’m the only one he can really talk to.”

Mi Sun grinned. “Oh, so he’s one of _those_.”

“One of what?”

“Hard and rugged on the outside, but soft and mushy on the inside.”

“So, he’s a lizard?”

“I was going for insect, but I suppose reptiles live up to that description as well.”

The smile fell from Amara’s face. This wasn’t really the time to be joking around. Mi Sun however, kept the small smile on her face. “So, what were you and Dr. Colman scheming?”

“It’s all him. He’s got some outrageous plan and thinks it’s the only chance we have.”

“When did he tell you this?”

“When he stumbled into me when I was talking to Godzilla in the middle of the night at Castle Bravo.”

Mi Sun raised her brows, clearly waiting for more information.

“Godzilla came to the base the night we got there. He wanted to know what we was up to. I was by the observation windows when Sam came in. When he turned on the floodlights, Godzilla was right there.”

“So you were caught red handed.”

“Pretty much.”

“And then?”

Amara told her the rest of the story of that night, as well as Sam’s ridiculous plan that had the potential to get everyone involved killed, or put in jail at the very least. The entire time, Mi Sun’s eyes were wide and intrigued almost like…

“You agree with him, don’t you?”

“It is risky. But something like that would change how people see Godzilla more than any research ever could. And because of you, we know it would work.”

“It’s just that I don’t know if it would be enough. The whole world could love him, and the military would still shoot him down for ‘public safety’. Why can’t they just see that we need to learn to live with him?”

“Did you ever read that article about Dr. Serizawa, the previous head of Monarch?”

“No, I didn’t. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.” Mi Sun’s tone was light.

“Plus, if the plan does work, what if people find out who I am. No one can guarantee my animosity. It would only take one person to say my name, or someone to recognise me on the TV. My life would never be the same.”

“But you’ll have money for that nice place on the beach that you want.”

“I want to be successful, not famous. The life of a Monarch scientist is a bit more hectic than I imagined, and it hasn’t even been a week.”

“But being successful is your main goal, right? Why is that?”

“So I can be independent.” An Image of her mother and father fighting flashed though her mind.

Mi Sun leaned forward, resting her hands on her legs. “You know, when I was in school I always got the best marks in my classes. I played piano when I wasn’t studying and read every night before bed. My parents saw my potential and told me that I was meant to be a doctor, or vet at the very least. Something respectable.

“I was okay with that for a long time, especially because science came so easily to me. But then we went whale watching one day and I saw my first blue whale and her calf. Never had something made me feel the way I did when I saw her massive body just beneath the water.

”I realized then that maybe being a doctor wasn’t enough. There was more to the planet than just people, so why would I limit myself to that when I could use my gift to help entire species and ecosystems.

“My parents weren’t happy at first. They didn’t see the world like I did, and that was okay. I pursued my own goal and became a successful marine biologist. And now my path has led me here, helping titans, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“What do your parents think now?”

“It took them a while, but over time they saw my contributions to the field. They’re proud of me now, for standing up for myself.” Mi Sun smirked. “Plus, my bother ended up being the doctor of the family.”

“So the moral of the story is to do what you want?”

Mi Sun’s situation wasn’t the same as hers, though. Her mother never told her to be a successful doctor or lawyer. No, she just wanted Amara to find happiness. Her mother finding it after she left her father.

Mi Sun rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a small piece of paper. She handed it to Amara.

It wasn’t a piece of paper, it was a picture. Flipping it over, it was one of the photos Mi Sun took on the cliff side. Amara standing awkwardly and Godzilla’s massive head filling the background. Even through the blurriness of the photo, Godzilla’s expression was easily discernible. His visible eye looked down at her narrowed and skeptical. And yet, still curious.

Curious how this one human could help him. And he was right to question her. 

She only really went to the island because she was the only one who could help Mi Sun save Godzilla and perhaps make some money from any breakthroughs they had.

But then she stood face to face with Godzilla. He didn’t try to eat her, or even crush her with his head. He was curious, just like her. Curious of how one tiny human could make a difference in his life.

Then Costa Rica happened. All because of her connection with Godzilla. He put an end to it in a single blast of his atomic breath. He showed Jonah that he could not be controlled, by her or by anyone.

If Mi Sun’s path led her here, then Amara had been lost in the trees and just happened to find herself in the same spot.

Regardless, she was here now. Struggled though every obstacle so far and granted with one final opportunity to save Godzilla using her own gift.

Maybe success wasn’t about independence. Maybe it was more complicated than that. More dynamic. It was personal, unique to each person based on their circumstances.

For Mi Sun, success was helping animals by educating humans about them. For her mother, it was about gaining independence in life without her father.

And for Amara…

“What do you think I should do?”

Mi Sun tiled her head to the side, looking at Amara. “It’s up to you.”

Amara’s eyes fell back down to the picture. In a world of people scared of what the titans could do, she was the only one who could show them the truth.

She could prove to them that Godzilla wasn’t evil, wasn’t a mindless creature like they thought he was. With one action, she could show the world and end the needless war against him.

She would save Godzilla.

For Godzilla.


	15. Normality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Amara’s eyes snapped open when a loud cry filled the air. High pitched and unearthly. A rumble followed, shaking the trailer.

Everyone in the room was up in an instant. Some looking around confused—much like her—and some already jumping out of bed and pulling on their cloths. 

In the next bed over, Mi Sun threw her covers off. Amara opened up her mouth to say something, only to be cut off by another screech.

This sent the slow to rise to their feet. The sound was almost like—

A woman with slivery hair burst though the door, still in her pajamas and a coat thrown on top. “Mothra is crawling out of the temple!”

Chen and Ilene, who where already putting on their shoes, looked up to the woman and nodded. It only took them another second to run out the door.

Amara pulled on her coat over her tank top and looked at Mi Sun. “Why would Mothra leave the temple?”

“I thought if anyone would know, it would be the twins. But they seem just as confused as the rest of us.” Mi Sun said, tying up her hiking boots.

Amara put on her own shoes, tucking the laces in and followed the others outside. “I doubt that she didn’t try to tell them.”

They broke into a jog towards the temple entrance. Water soaked into Amara’s loose shoes as she ran, seeping in between her toes. Maybe socks would have been a good idea.

“Perhaps she tried to in their dreams.” Mi Sun’s voice wavered with each step. “Isn’t that how Godzilla talks to you?”

Mi Sun had a point there. It did take a while to realize that the dreams were related to Godzilla. But it wasn’t really an active type of communication, more like their minds converging. In her dreams, she was him.

Another rumble interrupted any chance of Amara replying. Small rocks and debris fell from the temple walls, rolling onto the soft ground.

Amara and Mi Sun followed the crowd around the corner and stopped near the entrance. Was this how Mothra always got out?

Better yet, was it how she got in? The hall must have just been big enough for the moth titan to fit through in order to lay her egg. Would the temple even hold up?

Ling and Ilene were just outside the entrance standing shoulder to shoulder and peering into the dark. All the lights along the hall had gone out thanks to Mothra. In fact, all the equipment inside was probably destroyed as well.

Blue light slowly enveloped the dark tunnel. The ground rumbled and the temple quaked with each movement Mothra made.

Mi Sun, who was seemingly fearless, joined the twins closer to the entrance. Amara naturally trailed behind her. If Mi Sun could do it, so could she.

Blue lit up the faces of all three scientists. Mi Sun looked in between the entrance and the twin’s faces. “Is she telling you anything?”

Ling didn’t look away. “I keep seeing flashes of water.”

“And Godzilla.” Ilene frowned. “She’s worried about him, but…she doesn’t know why.”

“Something is coming, something unnatural.”

Mi Sun looked between the two. “Like Ghidorah?”

Ling’s eyes trailed away from the temple and found Mi Sun’s and the Amara’s. “She can’t tell. But she needs to be ready.”

“As in she’s going to cocoon?” Amara asked.

Ilene nodded.

A pair of blue eyes came into view. Their brightness distinct from her iridescent glow. She was nearly out. But where would she go?

“Do you know where she’s headed?” Amara looked back at the twins. 

Ling’s voice was gentle. “The waterfall.”

Amara took a step closer. “The same one as last time?”

“It’s always the same one. It is sacred.”

Mothra’s head appeared, tight against the stone walls. Couldn’t they have made it just a bit bigger?

By now, a few other scientists dared come up beside them. They murmured amongst themselves, mostly listening to what the twins had to say.

“Well this explains all the temple ruins we’ve come across.”

Amara turned around to the owner of the lackadaisical comment, of course it was Sam.

“I was just wondering about that,” Amara looked back at the temple.

“Oh yeah, she’s taken out a few.”

Everyone began to back away as Mothra finally reached the entrance. She wiggled and squirmed until the ornate pillars on either side of her emerging head crumbed and fell. Dust filled the damp air and obscured the temple. 

Amara grabbed Mi Sun’s hand and pulled her further away from the dust cloud. Mothra could come out of nowhere and crush them whether she intended to or not. She retreated to a large tree, the truck the size of a car. Maybe it could withstand Mothra’s body if she decided to crawl past.

Others followed suit, crowding around the ancient tree and others like it.

However, the rumbling stopped and a sense of calm enveloped the forest. The dust began to settle, and the sounds of nature retuned. Frogs croaked, insects chirped, and birds sang from above.

Mothra’s glow painted the leaves a brilliant blue as she sat near the temple entrance. Her upper body alert to her surroundings, but remaining completely still. It was clear she was waiting for the dust to settle before making a move.

Everyone remained silent as she let her upper body fall and begin her journey to the waterfall. She hummed along with the fauna, adding to the mysterious feeling that enveloped the forest.

It wasn’t until she was nearly out of sight that someone made a move.

“So are we following her… or?” It was Rick who voiced the question.

Ilene looked away from Mothra’s retreating form and towards Rick. “We know where she’s going so we have time to get ready and pack up.”

“And how do we know she’s going to the waterfall? We haven’t found any evidence proving that to be the case,” one of the scientists asked.

“Wait, who said she’s going there?” asked another.

People turned to each other, voicing their confusion. The noise drowned out the song of the quiet forest.

Ling and Ilene still didn’t answer the question. They looked between each other and the crowd, most likely realizing their mistake. Ling blurted out her knowledge of the waterfall without thinking. Sure, Amara and the others involved with the secret experiment understood, but to anyone else that overhead, it was a bold statement not to be backed by evidence.

This was exactly why no one could know about her and Godzilla’s connection. What could the twins say in their situation? That they just knew? These people weren’t ancient Mothra worshippers, they were scientists, people that made it their job to prove their theories through evidence. And evidence of weird magical telepathic connections with titans wasn’t easy to find.

Either they say that they could communicate with Mothra and everything thinks they’re crazy, or they come up with some other way to show evidence of their findings.

It was the exact situation Amara found herself in, give or take a few extra variables and Godzilla’s life in the balance. Or mankind’s if they failed at killing him.

A lose lose situation for both parties if she failed.

Ilene’s voice raised above the others. “We believe the waterfall is where she’s headed because that is where she cocooned previously. We’ll have a group follow her to confirm, while the rest of us get dressed and meet in the common room. We’ll discuss our course of action from there.”

Ilene’s explanation worked. Everyone turned back towards the trailer now placated. The sound of boots squishing against the fallen leaves and mud was relaxing compared to the chatter before.

…

The meeting was short and sweet. Four of the scientists with military backgrounds travelled with Ling to the waterfall while everyone else gathered in the trailer. Ilene and Sam came in a few minutes later after briefing a higher up from the government via video chat. 

Everyone was told to pack up and be ready to move to a new base wherever Mothra cocooned, be it the waterfall or a different location.

Amara and Mi Sun were about to exit the trailer with everyone else when Sam called after them. “Do you guys mind staying for a minute?”

Oh yes. The Godzilla thing.

The previous day after Amara talked to Mi Sun, she found Sam and told him that she would reconsider the plan. After all, there were a lot of things to sort out.

Amara and Mi Sun sat back down at the table already occupied by Ilene, Sam, and Rick.

Once everyone was settled, Sam cleared his throat. This was still news to Rick and Ilene, after all. Everyone there would have to approve for the plan to be a go.

Sam began his expiation, glossing over a few key things that were hard to explain, such as how they could find Godzilla in the first place. It seemed even the idea of Godzilla following Amara around for curiosity’s sake was more than he wanted to let on. Something they agreed on.

As he explained, Ilene looked surprised, but thoughtful. Rick, however, had a rather dumbstruck look across his face. Obviously, he thought the plan was as crazy as she originally thought. Well, it was still crazy, but it was their only option.

“And were exactly do you plan on doing this? Better yet, how are you so sure Godzilla will be there?”

Mi Sun answered the question Rick aimed at Sam. “The same island Amara and I took samples from him before.”

Rick tuned his unamused frown towards Mi Sun.

She indulged him. “I’ve done some testing in the waters near the island since we first encountered Godzilla, and based on his unique radio active signature and the growth of marine life in the region, it’s safe to assume he frequents the area.”

“So you’re basing this off of the increased plant life because of his radiation?”

“Look at Hawaii and San Francisco. Both places have been affected by his radiation and both are teeming with plant life only five years later. I have no doubt Boston will be a forest in a few years with the amount of Godzilla’s radiation there.”

“It’s also uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.”

Amara straightened her back, about to open her mouth, but stopped. They didn’t know the full extent of Godzilla’s radiation. Not only was it harmless, but it healed. Both her and Mi Sun agreed to keep it out of their research, who knew what that information could lead to.

“Rick,” Ilene said. “We’re getting off topic.” Her eyes fell back on Mi Sun. “He is right though, just because Godzilla may be in the area, doesn’t mean he will cooperate.”

“I think he will.”

All eyes landed on Amara when she spoke. Mi Sun’s expression was soft, the others were curious.

“He came up before when we were there. I think he’s like Mothra—as in he can sense our emotions, maybe even our intentions.”

Ilene nodded her head ever so slightly and Mi Sun smiled fondly. Sam blinked and Rick looked on the verge of rolling his eyes.

Ilene’s voice broke the silence. “I do believe Godzilla is intelligent, but I don’t know if it’s to that extent, Amara. Do you have anything to back up your statement?”

Everything went back to evidence. “He’s never gone out of his way to attack anything other than threats to us and the earth. It’s the only reason he ever comes onto land. As soon as it’s over, he disappears back into the ocean.”

Rick crossed his arms and leaned back. “You’re forgetting about Costa Rica. There’s no explaining why he attacked that factory full of people.”

Amara gave a sideways glance to Mi Sun, who merely stayed quiet. “They didn’t tell you either?”

“Who didn’t?” Ilene asked.

“The military. They covered it up, using it for fearmongering against Godzilla.”

Sam’s brows furrowed. “What do you know? What are they covering up?”

“The people at the factory were Alan Jonah’s men. It was their secret base.”

Rick leaned forward again, his eyes staring into Amara’s though the glint of his glasses. “How do you know this?”

“I was there.”

There was a chorus of “how’s” and “why’s”. Everyone looking at Amara with rapt attention.

“He found out about Mi Sun and I researching Godzilla. They brought me there to interrogate me, only for Godzilla to show up and…well, you know the rest.”

They further questioned Amara’s story, but she kept to her story. She told them about the gun and how Jonah attacked first, provoking Godzilla past the point of no return.

“But why did Godzilla choose to attack then and there? Did he remember you from the island and decide to follow?” Ilene asked.

“I don’t know for sure. But I do believe he knows more than we think, and that he’s aware of where he stands with humans, maybe all of nature for that fact.”

“You really think Godzilla’s going to show up, don’t you?” Rick’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

Amara nodded.

“Okay, okay. Let’s say Godzilla does show up. Then what? We just call the media and hope they believe us?”

“We can lie. We’re planning on calling anonymously to every pro Godzilla media outlet in the state, someone’s bound to show up.”

“And what if someone calls the police?”

Sam answered, “We won’t tell them Godzilla will actually be there until they show up. If someone calls then, we can be long gone before the military shows up. Everything is going to be on live TV, so we can’t stay for long regardless. Not like they could attack him with so many civilians around anyway.”

“And you really think this will be enough to save him?”

Sam relaxed. “Best case, everyone will see Godzilla isn’t a threat and the attack will be called off. Worst case, we gain back some public favour and stall the government. Buy us some time to come up with something else.”

It was a good thing Sam was good at this. Maybe even better than Mi Sun was. Rick was close to giving in, it was written on his face.

“And we’re doing this one-hundred percent anonymously? Cause if they find out Monarch is behind this stunt, _our_ best case is getting fired.”

Sam nodded, a confident look in his eye. “Only Amara will be on camera, and she’ll be covered up with her back to it. Out of all of us, she’s the least known and should be virtually unrecognizable.”

“And far away, right?” It was still nerve racking to think thousands of people would potentially see her.

“Yeah, we’ll keep the camera’s back.”

Rick shook his head and sighed. “You know, I feel like I should say no to this, but after all the crazy stuff I’ve seen so far…Yeah, sure, I’m in.”

Everyone looked at Ilene, her face impassive. “Well, do we have a contact list ready?”

…

It took a week to get everything organised. Between setting up flights, calling news outlets, and ironing out the smaller details; everything was nearly ready.

As the twins predicted, Mothra went straight to the waterfall. The team had the temple site cleaned up in a matter of days and moved to their new location without a hitch.

So far, everything had gone surprisingly well. Maybe it was a sign that things were starting to look up. Maybe this would finally put an end to all the irrational fear and hatred toward Godzilla. Maybe he could exist freely once again.

And now, here she was. Back on the island where she first stood face to face with Godzilla. The area looked largely the same. The Sea-cliff Bedstraw yellow as ever, now joined by others along the cliff. The stems bent back in the strong winds created by the rotors of the noisy helicopter.

Mi Sun followed Sam and Rick out of the cabin. Ling and Ilene stayed behind at the new base by the waterfall in case anything happened to Mothra in the meantime.

As soon as everyone was clear of the helicopter, it rose back into the air and towards the California coast. Waves crashing against the cliffside below replaced the thrumming rotors.

Mi Sun dropped her bag on the ground. “Okay, lets set up the tents by the trees.”

Rick reluctantly followed, looking more like a reluctant child than an esteemed Monarch scientist. “And we’re sure Godzilla’s going to show up?”

Mi Sun rose a brow. “We’re giving him two days, should be plenty for him thanks to all his underwater tunnels.”

“Camping though? Can’t I just come later, arrive with the media crews?”

Amara walked away from the conversation towards the cliff’s edge. This place was beautiful. The green grass decorated with wild flowers. The lush trees, sparse leaves tuned golden with fall’s approach.

But the beauty of the island paled as the water came into view below. It’s salty smell like that of home.

The ocean was the same blue as the sky, yet different. The sky’s blue, an illusion; the ocean’s blue, a mystery. A veil hiding another world below.

Through her eyes, it was a world full of unknown creatures, unknown places. But through Godzilla’s, it was a place of peace and beauty. Quiet and endless. A place of freedom.

Above that water was her home, and his kingdom, below. When he could not travel to hers, she would go to his. Only then, they could speak.

While Rick bickered with Mi Sun and Sam, Amara wandered back to the trees where her and Mi Sun first entered the clearing from the path up the cliff. It was nearly invisible, the only evidence were the cut leaves and branches from Mi Sun’s machete. 

Her shoes slid across the rocks that tumbled down the steep decline. Her steps were quick, the forward momentum pulling her down. In some ways, going uphill was easier. More painful, yes. But at least there wasn’t the risk of stumbling down the hill and breaking an ankle.

As she neared the rocky shore, the crashing waves grew louder. Even now, the thread was loose. No trace of Godzilla’s presence. The water was the only way to reach him.

Castle Bravo was the last time they spoke. Even in the plane over the ocean, his presence was nowhere to be found. His reach extended far beyond hers, especially when she panicked. Like her emotions could cross a bridge the distance that thoughts could not.

Could he feel her emotions even now? The fear, the distress? Even once peaceful dreams were dark, leaving a lingering feeling that tingled though her being. Crushing.

She hopped onto the large rock just off the shore. Water splashed her jeans and soaked her shoes. It was alright though, the sun warmed her face, bright and endless. A welcome change from the dark forest.

The waves were calm in the cove. Calm enough to jump in. She sat on the rock and pulled off her shoes and socks, followed by her shirt and pants. It was unlikely anyone would find her. And if someone did, it would be Mi Sun. Sam and Rick didn’t seem like the type to hike down a cliff.

In nothing more than a bra and underwear, she slid off the rock into the shallow water. With her feet on the ground, her body was submerged up to her neck. She leaned forward and swam out towards the open water.

Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to swim out further, but something about it was natural. It was the right thing to do.

She reached the end of the cove. The water deeper than her feet could touch, but shallow enough the bottom was still visible. It was far enough.

She took a deep breath and dove under, eyes shut.

Under the water, the thread extended as if time and space no longer affected its infinite reach. If she were to pull, he would feel it.

As so she did. Not a yank, but a gentle tug. The thread pulled tight through the water and beyond all comprehension. Something was at the other end.

_There she was. Across the world once again. An endless chase._

His presence filled the void in the back of her mind, replacing the sinking feeling that had settled there. The dull ache in her head nearly vanished.

Amara pictured the island in her mind’s eye. _Will you come here?_

_That place again._

_I need you here. We have a chance to end this once and for all._

_Was that not the purpose of the last time?_

_It wasn’t enough. I have help now._

_Those creatures only cause more harm, regardless of their intentions._

_This time is different. I’m with them now—and Mi Sun. We’ll make sure nothing will go wrong._

_You are desperate. Why?_

_I just want to end this. I want everything to go back to normal._

_Normal. An abstract concept. What is your version of normal?_

What was her version of normal? Going back home to her little apartment, maybe give it a deep clean. Finish school and get her degree. Maybe going to work for Monarch as an actual scientist. Maybe working for an arbitrary lab that paid decently.

_You would forget about everything in favor of trivial normality, have you learned nothing? Do you truly think this will end and you can return to your life as it once was?_

A sudden need for air sent her up to the surface. The thread slacked. Who was he to call her life trivial? She was a human and he was a titan, it was comparing a god to a mortal.

What was wrong with wanting life to be normal? Didn’t he want that too? It was their connection that triggered all this in the first place. If it wasn’t for her, he would have never come so close to Vancouver Island; never drawn the military’s attention. 

He claimed the connection couldn’t be broken, but how could he know for sure? Maybe it could be. Maybe that was best. After this was over, she would find a way to break it and they could both be free once again.

She dove back under. This time, the tread pulled from his end. He was still waiting for an answer.

_I just think it will be better for both of us to go back to our own lives once this is over._

_You would reject our connection if given the choice?_

_Don’t you want that too?_

Water droned in her ears in a beat of defining silence. Her chest tightened in unknown disappointment.

_The tides are forever changing, paths once familiar disappear while new ones form. Creatures change form. Plants grow, die, and grow again. Normality was change. Adaptation. Evolution._

It was true. Godzilla was millions of years old. He lived through the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, even the ice age. Her life didn’t even register on the scale of his.

Even more reason to go their separate ways. He would forget about her as he lived on. All she had to do was ensure this connection wouldn’t be the end of him.

_I will come._

He would?

_Your turmoil is tied to me. I will come if that is what it takes to remedy it._

_Thank you._

_Your gratitude is unnecessary._

Amara surfaced again, no longer weighed down by doubt. Godzilla would come. This was the end. People were going to see what she saw. A titan beyond destruction and terror. Capable of reasoning and higher thought, of sapience. 


	16. Sam's Plan

An hour after her trip to the cove, Amara made it back to the campsite. In the meantime, two tents were set up in the same area Amara and Mi Sun had theirs last time. Rick looked to be napping in a camping chair while Mi Sun and Sam conversed while putting a tarp over one of the tents.

“There you are.” Mi Sun glanced at her from around the back of Sam’s head. “Did you go down to the water?”

“Oh…yeah, just went to check it out.”

Sam twisted around. “That’s quite a hike just to go down to the water.”

“It’s worth the view. You should go check it out with sometime.”

Sam glanced over at the snoozing man. “Yeah…sometime.”

Mi Sun fastened the last piece of the tarp. “Don’t worry Sam, I’ll go down with you later.” Her eyes found Amara. “Do you want to try making a fire? I could use some tea.”

“Yeah, sure.” Ah, a challenge. Making the fire last time proved to be difficult, but not impossible. The key was patience and perseverance.

The burnt remains of the previous fire were still scarred into the earth. Probably a good place to start, no need to destroy anymore of the beautiful grass. 

Everyone pitched in to collect wood. Sam had shaken Rick until he finally got up. Amara picked up dead leaves scattered across the ground. They would make good kindling, wouldn’t they?

Materials collected, Amara set up the fire. Though Mi Sun didn’t have her trusty machete, she did have a knife Amara could borrow. In fact, it was the same knife she had lent her last time.

With it, she shred the wood into thin slices that curled as they fell to the ground. It didn’t take long for her hands to throb. But doing it right the first time would be easier than multiple failed attempts.

Sure enough, when she lit the match and put it to the wood shavings and kindling, it caught. Blocking the sea breeze with her body, she cupped the flames with her hands and blew just enough to make them grow.

In a matter of minutes, a fire was born. Even Sam and Rick looked impressed at her feat. Mi Sun beamed.

They sat around the fire. Amara and Mi Sun drank tea while Rick and Sam drank coffee from a french press.

Amara’s chair faced the ocean past the expanse of grass between the wooded area and the cliff. The water glimmered white with the sun’s reflection, bright flashes almost painful to the naked eye.

This place was truly beautiful. Mothra’s forest had the same sense of quiet and peacefulness, but it was dark and mysterious as well.

This place was warm and bright. Maybe it was the way the leaves fluttered in the wind in shades of green. Maybe it was the sound of the waves, or the familiar taste of sea salt. Maybe it was the soft grass between the toes of her bare feet.

It was strange. Life by the ocean wasn’t new. She was born on the island, grew up near the sea, walked paths bordered by willow trees. What made this place different?

“What, do you see Godzilla or something?”

Amara’s blinked and turned her eyes towards Rick. “No, just looking.”

Silence fell upon the group. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the water.

“This place is perfect, isn’t it? I could build a house right here.” Mi Sun’s voice was airy.

Amara nodded. “Me too.”

Mi Sun looked at Amara, her eyes shining.

…

Inside the tent was dim when Amara opened her eyes. Outside the leaves rustled and Mi Sun quietly snored from beside her. She sat up, bringing the sleeping bag with her. Godzilla’s presence filled the void in the back of her mind. He had to be close for the feeling to be so strong outside of the water.

How Godzilla got there so fast was a mystery. Sure, it was probably the hollow earth tunnels that Rick went on about, but it was incredible none the less.

Amara leaned over and shook Mi Sun’s arm. “He’s almost here,” she whispered.

Mi Sun was up and dressed before Amara could pull a pair of pants out of her bag.

Amara grabbed her Mi Sun’s hand before she could unzip the tent. “Where are you going? He’s not here yet.”

Mi Sun kept her voice down as not to wake the others in the next tent. “I have to go down to the cove and check the sonar. We don’t know he’s here until we can see him, remember?”

Amara let go of her. “Oh, yeah.” Good thing Mi Sun could think in the morning, because she sure as hell couldn’t. “How far is the range again?”

Mi Sun unzipped the tent slowly. “Ten miles if I remember correctly. How far out do you think he is?”

“I’m not sure. He’s not near anything I can use as a point of reference,” Amara said, following Mi Sun outside.

“But if he was near something, you would know?”

Amara nearly tripped on a branch as they made their way down the path. “Yeah.”

Mi Sun held her arm while she regained her balance. “How? Can you see it? Does he tell you?”

“I don’t know, I just know.”

“It’s fascinating how your connection is so much more than just communicating. Even Ilene’s machine shows physical evidence of your link though brain activity. I can’t even imagine how it looks when you’re actively talking to him.”

Was she referring to the irregular activity in her frontal lobe? It did seem like proof that the thread existed. A physical manifestation of a metal connection. Possibly the only proof that it was real.

The path began to open up. Amara took the lead. “All I know is it’s hard to think about. It’s a weird feeling but at the same time it feels natural. At first our thoughts were so interconnected I couldn’t tell the difference between them. Even now, my emotions feel jumbled up sometimes. I don’t know if they’re mine or his.”

They reached the cove in record time. A layer of fog covered the water and clouds in the distance promised more in the future. Mi Sun picked up the sonar off the ground and put it in the water, plugging in the laptop she produced from her bag.

Mi Sun turned on the laptop. “Your connection with Godzilla is deep. It may take a lifetime of research to find out anything about it. Even your shared feeling of pain, it’s…impossible.”

Amara gave her a sideways look. “Everything about our connection is impossible.”

Mi Sun turned on the sonar. The screen displayed green rings half obscured by landmass. The rest only spotted with bits of marine life. Maybe the dolphins were still around.

Not even half an hour later, an orange mass appeared at the far edge of the screen. Mi Sun sat up.

Amara got up from her spot further inland and joined Mi Sun at the radar. The screen refreshed and the mass grew larger, his body becoming more and more visible each time.

Mi Sun went for her phone, only to stop herself. There was no cell coverage down here.

She unplugged her laptop and passed it to Amara. She then pulled the sonar from the water. “Lets hurry. Sam’s got a lot of people to call.”

The jogged up the path. Amara was a ways ahead, Mi Sun’s bag over her shoulder. It may have been a while since she last trained, but her endurance wasn’t totally gone yet.

By the time Mi Sun made it back to the camp, Amara already had Sam and Rick up. Like Mi Sun, Sam was wide awake immediately. He had his list out and was making phone calls still in his pajamas.

Amara and Mi Sun made a fire.

In the following hours, helicopters filled the clearing. Men and women clambered out carrying all sorts of heavy camera equipment.

Sam and Rick mingled with the media crews, acting as if they were one of them, feigning ignorance.

Amara sat at the base of a tree, the hood of her zipped up jacket concealing most of her face. Beside her, Mi Sun fiddled with her digital camera.

The clicking of buttons was hardly noticeable over the conversations laced with confusion. Everyone here was well aware this was a publicity stunt, but they had no idea the magnitude. They had no idea they were going to be in the presence of Godzilla himself.

Would they scream in fear at the sight of him? Would they flee before she could show them his benevolence? Even docile, his presence alone made even the strongest of willed quake in terror.

No, these people were chosen specifically because of their views on Godzilla and the other titans. Despite their fear, they were the ones most likely to hold their ground. They were the ones who would see. They were her last chance.

His last chance.

_Cease these spiraling thoughts._

Amara jolted from her slumped position.

Mi Sun’s head snapped in her direction. “Is he here?”

The tread tugged at her mind, pulling her to her feet. “Yeah.”

Mi Sun put the camera strap around her neck, letting it dangle over her stomach. “Like we talked about?”

“Act natural.” Amara’s gaze remained steady.

Mi Sun nodded. “Keep your back to the cameras as much as possible.”

Amara walked on as Mi Sun fell back, remaining with the crowd.

The ocean ahead was veiled in thick fog. Both water and sky obscured in grey just beyond the cliffside. The wind was still, as if even it waited in anticipation.

This was it. The last chance. There was no turning back now.

She closed her eyes, more a habit than a necessity. _Are you ready?_

_A foolish plan. Yet here I am, if only to placate you._

_I’m sorry that you have to feel my emotions. If I could control them, I would._

It was the truth. He only went along with this plan because of her inner turmoil. Her emotions plaguing his mind with petty troubles. She had caused him to act time and time again because of it.

Yet whenever she mentioned breaking the bond, he disagreed. What did he gain from it other than unnecessary conflict?

Instead of an answer, the sound of breaking water filled the shroud before her. Loud like static on a TV left on in the middle of the night, it drew the attention of everyone on the island, their idle chatter ceasing.

After near minutes of the sound, the water grew silent once again. Still, no one spoke. Amara’s ears buzzed in the silence. Was he there? Standing just beyond the fog?

Crashing water once again broke the silence. Then, an earth shattering boom. The island shook. Amara stumbled. A woman shrieked.

Again, another boom. Then another. Each footfall louder than the next. The wall of grey mist, unaffected by the titan’s presence.

People frantically whispered behind her. The sound of movement indicated many were getting their camera’s ready in case the fog gave way.

A man’s voice raised above the rest. “Good afternoon, I’m Zachary Rangen and I’m here live at an undisclosed location where just behind me, is the King of the Monsters, Godzilla.”

Then another voice, this time feminine. “Hello, this is Amanda Haze—”

“—Live here today with none other than Godzilla, thanks to an anonymous tip.” Announced another.

Rumbling echoed across the clearing, so deep the leaves quivered. The mist swirled oddly. Twin spirals above where Amara stood. The newscasters went quiet.

With a groan, the wall broke apart, revealing dark grey scales and predatory amber eyes. His body was so close, his chest nearly touched the cliff. His neck was craned back, looking down at her.

_Here I am._

She nearly swiveled around. His voice was so clear, surely everyone could hear it. _Just stay there, let them see you’re harmless._

Godzilla let out a sharp snort and pulled back his shoulders. _Harmless, you say?_

_Okay, that was a poor choice of words._

_So it was._

From behind, reporters resumed their broadcasts.

“He appears to be completely docile.”

“Are you getting this? Look at his face, it’s like he’s thinking!”

Amara took a step closer to Godzilla. _It’s working!_

Godzilla leaned down ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving her. _I sense their fear._

_You are the king of the monsters. It’s hard not to be afraid._

_Are you afraid of me?_ Godzilla’s nostrils flared.

Of course. One careless move and he would crush her. Some one could do something to annoy him and he could kill everyone on the island in a single breath. What would stop him? Even she was nothing more than a nuisance to him.

Amara swallowed. _A little bit._

“One fearless girl is approaching him. What does she intend to do?”

“He seems to be watching her intently.”

“Are you getting this?”

_Your fright is unfounded. I am aware of the consequences of carless action._

Even so, a creature of his size, it was difficult to comprehend. She was a spec to him. An ant standing before a lion.

She took another step.

Godzilla arced his neck, leaning closer. His nose only meters from her.

Teeth and scale filled her vision. Golden eyes fixed on her under deep set brows. Breaths creating wind gusts over the clearing, blowing loose strands of hair from under her hood.

The fresh scars on his face had noticeably healed into dark lines cutting through scale. Her eyes fell to his chest. There, were the gun had hit him was still blackened and raw. Why didn’t it heal like the rest of his wounds?

_You know as well as I that it no longer hurts._

_Still…_ It was odd.

_You feel the same as I. If it were painful, you would know._

“Look at the emotion in his face.”

“Incredible. Who is this girl?”

The thread tugged. He was so close. She reached up, fingertips towards his nose. Could she touch him? Would he let her?

_It is meant to be._

His head came ever closer, slow like a boat drifting with the tide. Closer and closer. The heat of his breath warming the palm of her hand.

Inches away.

This wasn’t a part of the plan. No, this was better. No one knew who she was. No one knew about her connection. All they saw was a docile creature, capable of so much more than death and destruction. 

The thread tugged. But not towards Godzilla. It pulled from her temple. Steady at first, causing an aching pain, the same pain after her dreams of darkness.

Not now. She clenched her teeth. Could Godzilla feel it too?

A flicker of his eye. A wince.

The mysterious thread yanked at her mind. Harder than ever before. It caught the side of her skull nearly pulling her over.

Pain like never before. Like her mind being yanked out of her head. She grabbed at her head, fighting to keep it in tact. A screech filled the clearing. Her screech.

Godzilla’s reaction was simultaneous. His massive body recoiled. A roar of agony escaped from between his teeth.

A claw the size of a bus came up, crashing against the cliffside. The ground shook and crumbled. Earth flew into the air all around.

Amara stumbled at fell, her face hit the ground. Men and Women screamed behind her.

How? How could everything go so terribly wrong? What was this pain?

_Free. Freedom from the darkness. A force pulling from above._

No, it couldn’t be. The feeling from the dream. The pressure.

Another surge of pain yanked at her head.

Godzilla let out another wail. The ground thundered as he backed into the ocean. He clawed at the side of his head, as if he too felt the invasive thread.

Was it attached to him as well, or was it just shared pain?

Amara ground her teeth. _Godzilla, what’s happening?_

There was no response. Only pain and anger.

Godzilla arched his back and fell, disappearing behind the veil. Water crashed as his body landed. Artificial rain pelted against the grass a moment later.

And then, silence.

The searing pain faded back into a dull aching radiating from her temple. Still, she lay there.

Helicopters whirred to life. People yelled.

This never should have happened. Why did she agree to this stupid, stupid plan? Of course it was going to end in disaster.

Jet planes flew somewhere overhead, engines shrieking across the sky.

There was no point looking. There was no point doing anything anymore. Anything she did just made things worse. At least laying her wasn’t hurting anyone. The grass the filled her vision blurred.

More helicopters came. More shouting. Commands.

A hand touched her back. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

She shook her head, her nose brushing against the grass. “No.”

“Are you injured?”

“I don’t think so.”

The solider helped lift her by the arm into a sitting position.

Around her, soldiers tended to other people in similar positions. Not too far away was Mi Sun, looking dazed. She held a cloth up to her forehead, blood soaking through. Rick and Sam were standing beside her. Both their faces were pallor, their frowns deep.

All around were people. Some gathered in groups whispering. Some helped others to their feet. Some just stared.

Debris from the size of small rocks to huge clumps of earth littered the grass. Was anyone crushed?

Ahead of her was the silvery vail. The once pristine cliff side was gouged. Godzilla had knocked it away with a single swing of his arm.

An unintentional act caused by her.

She destroyed the last chance Godzilla had a peace. Hurt her friend. Hurt strangers. Hurt Godzilla. Why did she even bother? Godzilla’s fate was sealed the second she saw him in the water months ago.

“Why am I not surprised.”

Amara craned her neck towards the familiar voice. It was him. It was always him. Tall and rather lanky. Mismatched eyes.

“I’ll take care of her, Brody,” he said to the solider at her side.

He nodded and headed towards the next person.

Amara’s eyes met Whyley’s. Without another word, he gripped her wrist and pulled her up. He wasn’t gentle, nor was he rough.

“I was hoping you learned your lesson last time. But I guess that was wishful thinking.”

There was no point in answering that jab. Her tank was empty, her head throbbed. The only thing that sounded remotely appealing would be to wake up and find out all of this was a dream.

Did Godzilla feel the same? His presence was still prominent in her mind, but his voice was silent. Knowing him, he was probably pissed.

Whyley pulled her forward, leading her to one of the helicopters. Great, he was taking her home once again.

He helped her up into the cabin before stepping in and sitting beside her. Strangely, it was only her, him, and the pilot inside. Wouldn’t they try to transport multiple people at once? Or was she the last straggler?

The helicopter ascended high into the air. There was no window to look out this time.

Whyley pulled out his radio and switched stations. “I’m bringing her in.”

There was static.

And then a voice replied, “Copy. See you soon W.”

Oh no.


	17. Wrong

“Can you take these things off?” Amara wriggled at the zip tie cuffs around her wrists.

Whyley closed the door to the room. “I don’t trust you enough to do that.”

Instead of some sort of secret base or even military camp, they stood in a hotel room. Most likely Whyley’s.

The place was relatively clean despite the worn state of the aged building. Everything was covered in a light layer of dust, and the generic floral paintings didn’t do anything beyond aging the room further.

Amara held her bound wrists up to her face. “You don’t trust me? You’re the bad guy, not me!”

Whyley locked the door and turned around to face her. “Bad guy? You’re the one wrecking everything. I’m stuck following you and cleaning up the messes.”

He undid his olive drab jacket and hung it up on a hook beside the door. It looked so heavy that the hook might break off the wall. Underneath he wore a simple black long sleeve shirt tucked into his military pants. He didn’t bother to take off his boots.

Amara shook her head but stood firm. “My messes? I’m just trying to help. It’s not my fault things keep happening.”

While Amara remained standing near the entrance, Whyley walked the short distance to the dining area and sat on a wooden chair next to the table, his body still facing her.

“People could have died back there. You could have, your scientist friend, any of the innocent bystanders. All because of you. What were you trying to do even?”

Instead of answering, Amara went over to the balcony doors. The heavy curtains were pushed aside, leaving the view of windows of the next building in plain site. Whyley’s room was on the thirty-sixth floor according to the elevator, easily one of the tallest buildings she’d ever been in. This must have been downtown. Maybe San Diego or Las Angeles?

Whatever, it wasn’t important. Escaping Whyley was her first priority. Once she was out, then it would be time to figure out which city this was. Unfortunately, Whyley had “confiscated” her phone back in the helicopter.

She let out a long sigh before returning her attention to Whyley. “I was _trying­_ to help. Trying to show everyone Godzilla isn’t the enemy.”

Whyley made a show of rolling his eyes. “Yeah, then I get there and half the cliff is missing.”

“It’s not his fault. Something—” Nope. That was bad idea. No way she was going to tell Whyley anything.

“Something what?” Whyley didn’t give her time to answer before going on. “Besides, when are you going to realize that Godzilla’s fate isn’t up to you? Haven’t you noticed that every time you try to help, something goes wrong?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped. There was something off. Tingling. Like a spider crawling up her spine, under her hair and onto the nape of her neck. Nestling there with hairy legs.

Godzilla was coming.

She reached out to him, pulling the thread. The uncomfortable feeling spread to her arms and legs. Insects crawling under her skin. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel this way?

_Amara. Where are you?_

His voice, a soundless presence, was off as well. It made the room shift and sway, like the waves. She took a step to keep herself from falling.

Whyley took her silence as an opportunity to turn on the box T.V. against the wall. Footage played of Godzilla swinging his arm up and debris flying towards the camera until the picture abruptly stopped and a new caster replaced the image on the screen.

The woman spoke but her words faded somewhere in the back of Amara’s mind. She looked so scared. Terrified at what had Godzilla had done. What Amara had done.

Her shoes scuffed against the hardwood floor as she moved towards the couch. Her eyes never left the woman on the screen as she fell down onto the stale smelling cushions.

Why couldn’t anything go as planned? Why couldn’t she do anything right?

Now Godzilla was coming here. If he was feeling the same as she was now, nothing good was going to happen.

_Don’t come here. Stay away._

_I must come. Something is wrong. You are not safe._

Her vision blurred. Her stomach churned.

“See what you’ve done?” Whyley asked from beside her. He was next to the couch, his eyes on the television as well. “They’re not going to stop until he’s dead. It’s only a matter of time before they’ll call me and I’m going to be forced to kill him, thanks to you.”

The taste of bile filled the back of her throat. Kill. The word was everywhere. On the T.V. screen, on Whyley’s lips. In the thoughts of everyone who’d seen what she had done, this time and the last.

Kill, kill, _kill._

She doubled over and heaved. Vomit splashed on the floor. It burned her throat and nostrils.

“What—oh, are you okay?” Whyley’s voice was higher, making him sound more like a teenage boy than a soldier. He held his hands over her, but didn’t make contact.

Amara spit the foul taste out of her mouth, and turned her head to peer at him through her hair. “He’s almost here.” 

Whyley’s eyes widened, reviling a brown spot in his blue iris. “You mean Godzilla?”

Amara nodded, still hunched over. The thought of moving alone made her stomach twist.

“Well tell him not to come then,” Whyley said, regaining his composure.

She shot upright, suppressing a gag. “Why does everyone think I can control him?” She wiped away a stray tear with one of her bound wrists. “All I can do is ask.”

Whyley leaned back, the surprised look once again on his face. “You—you admitted it.”

The room spun. “Why are you acting surprised? You thought I could speak to him before I even knew I could.” She brushed the stray hairs from her damp face with her thumbs. “Maybe if you just left me alone, half of this would never have happened. All he wants is peace and quiet and you guys keep going after him! How am I anymore to blame than you?”

Whyley squared his shoulders. “Don’t try to pin this on me.”

“If it wasn’t for you, the military would have never gone after him in the first place.” Amara stood up. The room went dark for a moment before coming back into view.

“My fault? What did I do?” Whyley raised his voice.

He really didn’t know? He was as much as apart of everything as she was. He was always there, always making things harder. It was time he realised it.

She held her chin up, ready for the challenge. “You were there on the beach before I got there. Patrolling it. I saw you. I know you were the one who called for back up.”

Whyley’s eyebrows furrowed at the accusation for a moment before resolve flooded his expression. “You were the one who called him out of the water! If you didn’t do that, I would never have known.”

“I didn’t do anything! Why did you call for back up anyway? I thought you were on Godzilla’s side.”

“I am! It’s not like we did anything, he attacked us first.”

“Attack? He wasn’t attacking, he was defending—” Defending…her? It wasn’t coincidence. He was protecting her before she’d even realised it.

But why?

Whyley opened his mouth but was cut off by a siren coming from the television. Across the top of the screen were the words “Titan Alert” and below it were evacuation instructions.

“He really is coming.” Whyley’s voice was only a fraction as loud as it was before.

He pulled a phone out of his pocket and held it up to his ear. A deep muffled voice yelled from the other end. He nodded and answered. “Yeah, I’m just upstairs. I’ll be there in a minute.”

The voice continued and as it did, Whyley’s face grew pallor. His lips were pulled back into a thin line. Without another word, he hung up and walked to the door.

Where was he going? Was he just going to leave her tied up here?

“What? What’s going on?”

Whyley paused at her question. Then slowly put his jacket back on. He didn’t make eye contact. “They’re mobilizing. If Godzilla comes ashore, they’re going to attack.”

They were _what_? Right now? No, this couldn’t be happening.

“And you’re going to let them?”

“I’m going to help evacuate the city. You’re going to stay here and convince him to leave.”

Amara followed him towards the entrance. “He won’t unless you let me go!”

“I’m not letting you go until all this is over!”

His voice was so loud she took a step back. “So you’re just going to leave me here?”

His chest rose and fell. “I’m coming back, you idiot. If you’re so special, you should be fine anyway.”

Who was he calling an idiot?

He continued. “This is a military building, so don’t even try to escape. I’m not the bad guy here.” With that, he exited the room. When the door closed, a secondary click rung through the air.

Was she locked in? Like hell she would just wait for him to come back. If he wasn’t the bad guy, then why did he leave her high and dry while the city was being evacuated?

No, it was going to be okay. Just convince Godzilla to turn around and hide. That was it.

She sat back down on the couch and closed her eyes. Even concentrating, the alarm assaulted her ears. _Don’t come any closer!_

No coherent thought came in response. Just a feeling, deep within. Something was wrong. _Wrong, wrong, wrong!_

Her chest tightened, making it difficult to breath. Something was wrong, but what? What was so off that Godzilla would reject reason?

She tried again. _I’m not in danger. If you come here, it will just make things worse._

Pain filled her head, like a hot knife piercing her brain. A familiar feeling. He put up a wall that her thoughts couldn’t get though.

He would come here. Chaos and destruction would follow, no matter if he intended it to or not.

But why was he so determined to come? Just because she was in danger? He had done it before, but that was different. She had been in actual danger. This time stupid Whyley had her here because he thought he was helping the situation. Bad guy or not, he was on Godzilla’s side. So why couldn’t he believe she was on his side as well?

“I’ve just received word the military is sending out bombers to the Las Angeles coastline in effort to stop Godzilla’s approach.”

No.

No, no, no.

The woman was replaced by aerial footage of Godzilla’s dorsal plates cutting through the surface of the water as he swam.

He wasn’t even ashore yet, and they were going to attack? How dare they!

Getting out was the only option. If she could escape, maybe he would turn around. Go deep into the ocean and hide away.

She stood in front of the metal door. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of the handle and turned it.

Locked.

She turned it again. Harder. Still, the door didn’t budge. Using both hands, she pulled the handle, pushed it, yanked it. Nothing. She was trapped.

She paced over to the sliding doors and out onto the balcony. No fire escape. No way down. Nothing to climb onto. Just honking horns and shouting from the gridlock far below.

She went back inside. Only a foot of wall shared with the hallway remained empty. A narrow strip on one side of the metal door. The rest was in the bathroom, taken up by countertop.

Maybe she could kick through the wall in between the studs.

She knocked against the aged wallpaper. Shouldn’t there be a sound difference? No matter where she knocked, it made the same noise. There was no time for this!

Her shoes clacked against the linoleum floor of the barren kitchen as she searched for something, anything to help. 

There. A cast iron frying pan in the sink.

It was heavy in her bound hands while she carried it back to the entrance. She lifted it over her shoulder, her grip slipping on the small handle.

She brought it down against the wall, gravity doing most of the work. The wall cracked, drywall dust speckled the floor.

She put the frying pan down. The impact hurt her wrists. She flexed her fingers and shook her hands before pulling at the torn wallpaper.

It didn’t look like there was much room between the door and the stud, but maybe she could squeeze through.

She pried at the drywall, using her body weight to pull chunks free. The hole grew bigger, but not big enough. Just a bit more.

The sound of static filled the air. Louder than any television could produce. Louder and louder. The sound bounced between buildings.

Amara scrambled towards the balcony and flung the door open. The white light of the sky marred by five black jets. Bombers. As fast as the speed of sound, they flew overhead, the thundering crack of their engines followed.

There was no time left. They would get to Godzilla in a matter of minutes, if that.

Would she feel the hits as they landed on him? Would they even hurt him, or anger him more? Either way, it wouldn’t end well.

Why couldn’t either understand what the opposing side was capable of? Why couldn’t they just live in peace?

Life had vanished from below. The streets were filled with abandoned cars, but all was quiet. Everyone had since fled further away from shore.

Was she the only one left here? If Godzilla did come onto land, would they bomb the city? She would be nothing more than collateral damage here.

Where was Whyley?

She had to get out.

Back over to the door, she resumed tearing the wall apart with dusty fingers. They ached from the strain, but it was nothing compared to the impending doom.

Ominous whistling filled her ears, then rumbling. The television flickered and went black, the building rattled.

A burning sensation consumed her back. Hot like someone threw boiling water from behind. Her fingers slipped from the hole in the wall as she doubled over.

They actually did it. They dared to hurt him. To attack him. Those pathetic creatures he protected time and time again turned on him. Their species uncapable of something as simple as loyalty.

No, those weren’t her thoughts, they were his, weren’t they?

Everything hurt, burned. When she closed her eyes, the blackness became ocean water. Godzilla wasn’t turning around, only swimming faster.

Get out, get out, _get out!_

She got back onto her feet. The hole was still too small. She put a leg behind the other before bringing it back at full force and kicking the wall with the bottom of her foot. It cracked above the hole. She kicked again and again, until her foot caught behind the drywall and she had to yank it back out. Still, she kicked. The hole was nearly big enough.

A click, barely auditable over the banging of her foot, then the door swung open.

“What in the h—”

“Let me out!” Amara raised her hands to her shoulder and ran straight into Whyley. The door was open and only he stood in her way.

Whyley, however, managed to not only hold his ground, but push her back into the room. The door swung closed behind him.

Her ankles hit the couch and she fell into it. The springs squealed in protest.

“I asked you to do _one_ thing,” He held up a finger, “and here you are tearing the wall apart like a feral animal.”

“I already told you, he won’t leave until I’m free!” She went to stand back up but Whyley pushed her down again.

Whyley raised his voice above hers. “Why would he care about you, huh? You’re a nobody. Not even a flicker on his radar.”

“You think I know that? I don’t know shit. All I know is that he does care and he’s not going to stop.”

“I can’t let you go, who knows what you’ll do!”

“I won’t do anything!”

“I can’t trust you.”

“Well I can’t trust you either!”

Their argument was cut off when the building shuttered and a picture fell from the wall. The glass shattered onto the floor.

Amara’s breathing shallowed, like someone tied a belt around her chest and tightened it.

A growl, low enough that it could have been from the earth itself, cut through the air. It was the only sound, nothing else dared to make a noise in his presence.

Whyley’s expression froze, his lips taut and his eyes wide like that of an owl, not daring to make a move lest being seen.

Neither of them said anything, or even blinked for that matter. He knew just as well as her that it was too late.

The room shuttered again, car alarms went off from far below.

Whyley, like a ridged puppet, moved towards the balcony. Silently, Amara rose and followed.

Wind blew through her hair as she walked out onto the platform. Whyley stood like a statue facing the ocean breeze, blocking her view between the towering skyscrapers towards the shore. She stepped around him until the path carved out by the road came clear. In between the inorganic rectangles jutting into the sky, was the distant figure of the King of the Monsters.

His head moved slowly, sweeping over the landscape of the metropolis. His shoulders were back, poised as ever, perhaps making himself taller amongst the man-made monstrosities that threatened to dwarf even him.

But his act didn’t fool her. His claws clenched and unclenched. His chest rose and fell quickly. His lip twitched, flashing pointed teeth. 

Nearly a minute ticked by before Whyley opened his mouth to ask a barely auditable question. “What is he doing?”

Amara looked at him through the corner of her eye. “He’s looking for me.”

As if Godzilla heard her voice, his head snapped in her direction.

Whyley swallowed. “C-can he see us?”

 _This is the one?_ Godzilla’s voice boomed through her mind.

Out of everything going on, he was concerned about Whyley?

_He will pay for causing you distress._

She shook her head _. You’re going to start a war!_

_Something is wrong. He is in the way._

She turned to Whyley. “You need to let me go right now.”

His eyes darted between her and Godzilla. “Why? What’s he going to do?” He sounded like a frightened child.

Godzilla answered in her stead. Puffing out his chest and craning his neck, he opened his mouth and released an ear spitting roar.

The air shimmered with glass around him. Windows shattered in rapid succession closer and closer. Within a second the balcony door burst into millions of pieces. 

Godzilla snapped his jaw shut, his eagle eyes still fixed on Whyley. He took another step forward. A building crumpled like nothing more than a house of cards.

Dark specs reappeared in the sky behind him. The jets were back.

Whyley grabbed her forearm, only one word escaping his lips.

“Shit.”


End file.
